Request For Candidates: Application Review Board

[Luke Faraone]

On 08/16/2010 10:46 AM, Stephan Hermann wrote:
>> Their sole concern is getting the screensaver into Ubuntu Software
>> Center, for Ubuntu 10.10 LTS and 11.04, before the movie's release in July.
> 
> 
> Well, this sounds like a good deal for Canonical and the partner repository, 
> or better a special canonical supported archive != partner, which is more for 
> commercial apps.

Agreed.

So we currently have three ways to get your app out to Ubuntu users:

 1) Upload as a package to the development branch of Debian or Ubuntu, then:
    a) wait for the next stable release
    b) request a backport
 Pros: available by default to all users
 Cons: Adds to collective package maintenance burden of MOTU, harder for
upstream to upload fixes (needs sponsorship, SRUs, etc)

 2) Form a contract with Canonical to get in partner. I'm not familiar
with the process, so I can't assess its pros and cons. I believe this is
not available to users by default.

 3) Create a PPA and upload there
 Pros: Developer gets complete control of the package, acts as their own
review board. If the PPA is poorly maintained, it's not the problem of
Ubuntu Developers to fix.
 Cons: Requires users to manually add the PPA, not available by default.
I think by default PPAs only can be used by open source projects. Lack
of oversight may cause breakage for users

With this new platform, we'd be adding another option:

 4) Get approval from the ARB to provide an application for 6 months to
current users of Ubuntu, without the intention of providing the
application in the next release.
 Pros: Available to users by default
 Cons: Application is by its nature ephemeral, developers will have to
re-request for additional releases. Closed source applications need not
apply.

How many applications out there would benefit from the new process
rather than one of the earlier ones?

-- 
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│Luke Faraone                          ╭Debian / Ubuntu Developer╮│
│http://luke.faraone.cc                ╰Sugar Labs, Systems Admin╯│
│PGP: 5189 2A7D 16D0 49BB 046B  DC77 9732 5DD8 F9FD D506          │
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