Introduction - New Member to the Ubuntu Mailing List and Interested in Contributing to the Project

Fri Mar 24 02:53:01 UTC 2023

On 3/22/23 13:17, Inshal Khan wrote:

> I am thrilled to introduce myself as a new member of this mailing list 
> and express my interest in contributing to the Ubuntu project. My name 
> is Inshal, and I am a student with a background in programming. I have 
> experience in C, Go, and Python, and I am eager to use my skills to 
> help improve Ubuntu.

Hi, Inshal, and glad to see you here!

> As a long-time Ubuntu user, I appreciate the value of open-source 
> software and the impact it can have on the community. I believe that 
> Ubuntu is one of the most user-friendly and versatile operating 
> systems available, and I want to contribute to its continued development.
>
> I am particularly interested in contributing to projects related to 
> system programming, application development, and automation. I am 
> willing to learn new technologies and techniques and work 
> collaboratively with the community to achieve our goals.

That all sounds awesome. However, one thing you might want to do is try 
to start small. Getting started as an Ubuntu contributor usually doesn't 
involve diving directly into in-depth work like that (though it 
definitely gets there once you've been at it for a while).

I'd suggest you read this page to get started: 
https://ubuntu.com/community/contribute/software-development There are 
several links there to things you will want to learn in order to help 
with Ubuntu development, such as how to do packaging, how to find 
packages that need help, how to assist with bugs, etc.

You will also probably want to become familiar with how to test Ubuntu's 
ISOs, as much of the work of Ubuntu development is finding bugs, 
diagnosing their cause, and testing fixes for them. You can learn how to 
help with that here: http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/ (If you open that link 
and the page looks broken, make sure you're using http, NOT https. For 
some reason the https version looks weird.)

At some point (or maybe even to begin with), you will want an IRC client 
on your system. The developers usually talk to each other about problems 
that need help on IRC. There are a variety of channels you will probably 
end up joining at some point, but one good starting place is 
#ubuntu-devel on the Libera.Chat network. Start by reading what 
interactions go on in there, so that you know how things usually work in 
there. That will help you get a feel for how things work and how to best 
help.

If you want a good IRC client that is easy to set up, I highly recommend 
WeeChat. See 
https://weechat.org/files/doc/stable/weechat_quickstart.en.html for 
instructions on how to set it up. If you're using Ubuntu 22.04, you can 
install it with "sudo apt install weechat-curses".

Be prepared to have a lot of patience. Ubuntu development is very 
complex and there are a whole bunch of rules and systems to keep in mind 
in order to do it right. You're not going to be expected to know 
everything from square one, but you will probably be asked to redo work 
or make changes. Don't be disheartened when this happens, it's just a 
normal part of the learning process.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. The documentation we have can be 
confusing, difficult, and sometimes just wrong thanks to a lack of 
maintenance. If you get stuck, ask for help in the #ubuntu-devel channel 
and if someone has the time, they should be able to help out.

Once you start building trust, getting experience, and helping fix 
problems, you'll gradually be able to start working toward higher goals. 
It's not a fast process - it usually takes *at least* six months of 
steady contributions to become an Ubuntu Member, which is a vital step 
in the process of helping with Ubuntu development. But it's very 
rewarding if you have the time and motivation to do it right. More 
details about Ubuntu Membership can be found here: 
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Membership

> I look forward to participating in discussions, sharing my ideas, and 
> learning from the experiences of others. Please let me know if there 
> are any specific projects or areas where I can be of assistance.

We *always* need help with packaging, ISO testing, and bug 
finding/fixing. The links I shared earlier should be a good place to get 
started with that.

Thanks for your interest in contributing, and I hope you enjoy it as 
much as I do!

> Thank you for welcoming me to the Ubuntu Mailing List, and I am 
> excited to be a part of the community.
>
> Best regards,
>
>
-- 
Aaron Rainbolt
Lubuntu Developer
https://github.com/ArrayBolt3
https://launchpad.net/~arraybolt3
@arraybolt3:lubuntu.me on Matrix, arraybolt3 on irc.libera.chat

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