How to report a feature request and receive mentoring

[Dustin Kirkland]

On Sat, Jan 23, 2010 at 5:16 PM, MPR <mplistarchive at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'd like to have a new feature added to Ubuntu when the Calibre ebook
> manager software is installed, but I do not know the proper procedure
> for making the feature request or getting help adding it myself. I
> looked at the details for the package with hopes of emailing the
> package maintainer, but it listed this mailing list as the maintainer.
>
> The specific feature I would like is for Ubuntu to be aware of my
> ebook reader when the Calibre package is installed. If I connect my
> ebook reader, I want Ubuntu to open a window and say "It looks like
> you added an ebook reader." and ask me if I would like to open
> Calibre, or configure it to always open it. I would also like the
> ebook reader icon to look different than the generic USB device icon
> as it does now. All of these things are done when I connect a music
> player, such as an ipod, so I know it can be done.
>
> What is the process for requesting this new feature? I would like to
> try implementing the changes myself, but I will require an experienced
> Ubuntu developer to help mentor me. How can I request mentoring for
> such a project?

Hi MPR-

So I can't offer to mentor you for this project, but I can point you
to a few tools that we use as developers when working and
collaborating on a feature such as this.

First, file a bug in Ubuntu, noting that this is a wishlist request.
 * https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/calibre/+filebug

Assign the bug to you, mark the status and priority appropriately (as
much as you have permission to do so anyway).  Track your progress on
the bug there.  Attach patches (or ideally bzr branches) with your
work in that bug.

If this feature is actually a collection of a bunch of separate bugs,
or affects multiple projects, file a Blueprint in Launchpad.
 * https://blueprints.edge.launchpad.net/specs/+new

In this Blueprint, you can discuss your goals (as you have above), as
for other contributors to subscribe, provide feedback, help out, etc.
You can also link the one or more bugs and bzr branches against the
blueprint.

Note that it's getting a bit late in the Lucid development cycle
(Feature Freeze is fast approaching) for major changes.  But if you
have a well formed blueprint, you'll be well on the way to getting
something like this into Lucid + 1.

Finally, if you're looking for mentoring, you might ask in
#ubuntu-motu, as that's where most people go with new-developer type
questions.  The expertise there is mostly packaging-level, but you
will hopefully get good pointers of all kinds from that channel.

Hopefully this helps.

:-Dustin