Ubuntu Express after UBZ

On Mon, Nov 07, 2005 at 12:40:55PM +0100, Quim Gil wrote:
> We have followed the progress of Ubuntu Express and its current top
> priority after UBZ. Congratulations!
> 
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuExpress/GnomeUserInterface
> 
> Are you going to assume the development internally? Will you start from
> the current development? Do you want us to collaborate?

We'd like to collaborate, and intend to start with the current
development. I think it would sound a little high-handed for me to talk
about us assuming development; at the same time we will necessarily be
putting a good deal of time into this throughout the Dapper release
cycle.

I'm going to request that our revision control team do an import of your
Subversion repository into Bazaar (whether baz or bzr) so that we can
work on it somewhat independently even if we have different opinions on
the direction of the installer for Ubuntu and Guadalinex, but still
collaborate where it makes sense to do so; this will also make sure that
we don't end up in a position where the demands of the Ubuntu release
cycle break Guadalinex's release cycle or vice versa.

My opinion on the current code is approximately that I think the
structure is pretty much what we want but we'll want to replace a lot of
the actual code for reasons of maintainability and to change various
user interface details, as discussed in various specifications. Starting
with the current Guadalinex implementation means that we can be in a
position of making incremental improvements (always easier than trying
to write something from scratch). In particular I have some very
definite ideas on making sure that the backend is as much as possible
merely a wrapper around d-i code, using techniques I developed for the
OEM installer in Breezy (the advanced partitioner is an obvious partial
exception here). Are those ideas ones you would consider adopting for
Guadalinex too?

In the short term, I'm attending the Launchpad side of UBZ, and it won't
be practical for me to do much if any Ubuntu Express work until after I
get back home. After that, I need to sort out an initial milestone CD
release of Dapper, and then we can get started.

> As you wish. We hope you can continue from the current development, that
> is being tested since weeks for Guadalinex. It will be more tested from
> now on, since Guadalinex RC1 was delivered last Friday to the client and
> they are going to make it public soon, asking the Guadalinex users to
> install it, test and report bugs.

While it's of course good that the current ubuntu-express code is
tested, I think the changes we want to make are extensive enough that
any testing is a bit premature. We have several months before Dapper,
though, so that's OK. :-)

I expect to get started in about two weeks' time. We'll see how it goes
from there ...

Cheers,

-- 
Colin Watson                                       [cjwatson at ubuntu.com]