Forging a new path.

[Cory K.]

Hmm... Lot's of stuff to address. I'll attempt to be clear and concise.
And try not to get too hung up on the stuff below as this thread about
what you guys want Studios future to be. Not to dwell on it's past.

Some technical stuff:

    Ubuntu Studio (<-official way it /should/ be written) *is* a
    "multimedia creation" distro. *Not* specifically a /audio/ distro.
    This will account for the *non-mandatory* inclusion (we don't really
    /have/ to take it from Ubuntu. though it gets harder not to because
    of depends) of PulseAudio. Which /should/ automagically get
    suspended when JACK is turned on.

    There was a time right near the projects start where we had a call
    for what audio apps users wanted. It put us over a 700MB CD size so
    the expanded focus only made sense considering one had to burn a DVD
    anyway.

    Stability vs. bleeding edge. These are often considered opposing
    forces. They are not. New versions often fix bugs but just as often
    bring new ones. So is the cycle. Part of the problem is that the
    process of getting very new packages in the repo for all to use (a
    main edict of the project) is a heavily bureaucratic one. Very often
    the technical part is the easiest. It would have been easier to have
    a separate repo from the start (even easier now with PPAs) but this
    means everyone doesn't benefit from our work. So in trying to get
    the work for all we *have* to to either file for SRUs (stable
    release updates - they go right in the archive and usually need
    *damn good* reason) or go for Backports (new versions pulled from
    the development release and put into the previous release. eg:
    Jaunty->Intrepid)

    It's alot of crap to work through. I've thought "Damn. We should
    just use a PPA. Make our own updates. Get away from this mess." but
    then a chunk of people don't benefit like I said above. There's many
    pro/Cons any way you slice and it will be up to future leadership to
    decide.



Getting involved and the difference you can make.

    Think about this. I knew *zero* about how to get this done. I had a
    understanding about the Debian system worked (packages,
    dependencies, metas and such) but that was about it. Pretty much
    linux user stuff. (which I say time and time again Linux audio is
    not for the new-to-linux user. just my opinion) But, I wanted to
    make it happen. So I did. After getting together with a guy named
    Dana (who within 2 weeks left) the project was off and running. I
    guess I have a knack for project management because I've made this
    all happen and seem to continue to be it's glue. (shrug)  I learned
    what was needed and maybe most important found the right,
    like-minded, amazing people to work with.

    Point is, you guys have no clue how simply having the will (having
    the time is a plus as well) can make a huge impact in this project.
    *Everyone* can do *something*. Even if it's the most simple of tasks
    like burning/installing a development release and reporting that to
    the testing tracker. And there's documentation. (a call put out
    multiple times) I'm sure *tons* of us have learned how to do
    something that someone else can use. Write it up on the wiki. :)

    And a related note: Acceptance to the development team is granted
    when one needs access to out BZR work. To "develop" things for
    Studio it's not a must to be on the team. We don't feel it proper to
    just accept anyone for bragging rights either. It's for very
    specific reasons.



Ubuntu Studio is here. It's a reality but needs it's community to be
less passive to continue. We've built it, you've come, but what's it
worth to you? What do *you* want Ubuntu Studio to be? Would be a shame
to see the project that carries the powerful Ubuntu name slip into the dark.

As I've said, *these* are the very important questions of the moment.
Hope some of that made sense.


-Cory K.

PS: The 64Studio guys and us are much closer than you guys know. ;)