Hello there

[Morten Kjeldgaard]

On 22/12/2008, at 08.16, Daniel Holbach wrote:

Take a look at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/GettingStarted - it explains
how to work with the MOTU team, how to get patches included, where to
find documentation about packaging, etc.


On a side note, this page is quite outdated, and furthermore, it seems to
point people in the wrong direction:

"One of the best means of contributing to Ubuntu is by helping to package
the thousands of different free software applications available."

This statement encourages people to start packaging software, a road
filled with frustration and -- given the huge backlog at REVU -- a long
waiting time before you feel that you start contributing. I am afraid that
many Ubuntu fans and prospects are lost with this approach.

I think we need to re-think this introduction as an _educational effort_.
And I think the FIRST thing newcomers should be taught is how to use
Launchpad, how it is structured, how the developers use it, and how the
newcomers can help the developers by reporting bugs and triaging.

Another very useful and easy thing a newcomer can do is to help with
translations. Rosetta is a wonderful tool, it's really easy to use and you
immediately feel you are being useful.

Some newcomers are experienced programmers and packagers already, and
although we should channel these people into a different direction, it is
still really important that they know how Launchpad works (it's not always
obvious, even to a tech-savvy person :-)).

Perhaps everybody should be required to have triaged a certain number of
bugs successfully before being allowed to move on in the training process.

I volunteer to draft a new GettingStarted page, and I will collect with
gratitude any contributions from this list or otherwise.

Cheers,
Morten


-- 
Morten Kjeldgaard
mok0 at ubuntu.com
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