[ubuntu-uk] Global Jam - UK Team Participation 2nd - 4th Oct '09!

[Alan Pope]

Hey guys,

The next Ubuntu Global Jam [0] has been announced [1].

When: 2nd to 4th October 2009 - Put it in your diary NOW!
What:
 * Bugs - finding, triaging and fixing bugs.
 * Testing - testing the new release and reporting your feedback.
 * Documentation - writing documentation about how to use Ubuntu and
how to join the community.
 * Translations - translating Ubuntu and helping to make it available
in everyone’s local language.
Where: Everywhere
No, really, where: To be decided! Help!

In February we had two Global Bug Jams, one in Birmingham and one in
London. So far we don't have any venues for the Global Jam, but I'm
sure you lot can start looking around for suitable venues. More than
one venue is great, as this gives even more people the chance to
participate. If the venue can only be used for one of the days, that's
fine. I personally think 3 venues each open for 1 day of the Jam would
be better than one venue for all 3 days, even if the 3 venues were
open on the same day.

Rough guidelines:-
 * Can host up to 10-20 (max) or so people in comfort with chairs and desks
 * Access for 3 days ideal, but not imperative
 * Has on-site or nearby refreshments
 * Has unfettered internet access with either or both wired and wifi access
 * Easy to get to - i.e. public transport links nearby.
 * Nice to have would be some kind of projector/big screen for giving demos
 * Disabled access would be much appreciated

This time around it's not a bug jam, but a full on do-everything JAM!.
We'll of course be doing bug work, but that's not the exclusive focus,
as you can see from the list above and from Jonos blog post.

For example the next Ubuntu release (Karmic Koala - 9.04) is happening
about 3 weeks after the Jam, so we can certainly do with a lot of
people testing stuff. The live CD images, the install process and
upgrades will all need thorough testing before release, and the Jam
will be a great opportunity to do that. It's also great if people who
have used 9.04 but not 9.10 can come along because they will often be
able to spot differences in behavior which may need to be reflected in
documentation and translations.

We can also hold informal sessions to 'train' people up on some of the
parts of contributing to Ubuntu. So even people who have only recently
started using Ubuntu, and don't know how or where to start, can get up
and contributing quickly. In addition we can also help new people
install Ubuntu on their systems or even help people diagnose issues
with their Ubuntu installations. There's plenty of opportunity for
community outreach here.

Of course it's also an opportunity to get to know the people behind
the email addresses and irc nick names. We rarely meet up in the UK
Team, and this is an ideal opportunity to get together for both a
focused Jam, and a bit of after 'work' R&R.

So take this mail as your invitation to join us at the Ubuntu Global
Jam! If you have any questions, fire away!

Cheers
Al.

[0] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGlobalJam
[1] http://www.jonobacon.org/2009/06/16/the-ubuntu-global-jam/