Plans for Xubuntu Karmic

[Jim Campbell]

Hi All,

On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 2:02 AM, Cody A.W. Somerville
<cody-somerville at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> Hello Folks,
>
>  As many of you know, the Ubuntu Development Summit for Karmic Koala is
> coming soon. This means that it is time to start discussing and defining the
> specifications and features to be delivered for Xubuntu in Karmic. Folks are
> welcome to submit specifications to the mailing list with a corresponding
> page on the wiki for consideration and specifications that receive general
> consensus and are feasible will be nominated by myself to be scheduled for
> further discussion at UDS.

I won't be at UDS this time around, but here were some ideas that I
had put together.  If people think any of them are particularly worthy
of setting up, I will put more comprehensive proposals together on the
wiki, and (as appropriate) blueprints on launchpad.

System Documentation plans
-- Get Xubuntu system documentation on the web. (i.e. help.xubuntu.org
)  I don't recommend this for the 9.04 docs, but for the 9.10 docs, it
would be good.
-- Contribute to Xfce end-user documentation.  Just last night I was
looking for the trunk-doc module on the xfce svn site, but I couldn't
find it.  I'll ask on IRC, but if anyone else knows the status, feel
free to let me know.

Community and Developer plans
Discuss where help is most needed in the Xubuntu team, and then set a
tangible goal to increase developer participation (i.e., one
additional packager. one additional documentor) in those areas.  More
importantly, though, we should build resources to make it more clear
how people can participate, and how they can participate in a simple
manner.

Generally speaking, I think it would be good to identify "bite-sized"
contributions that can be made to Xubuntu other than just bug triage.
For example, Xfce folks suggest that interested programmers begin by
contributing to Xfce-goodies. What can some Xubuntu goodies be?  These
need to be documented and made available.
--- For a new packager, what is the most simple way to contribute in
packaging (what are the easiest xfce-apps to package)?  Or what is a
relatively simple packaging task that needs to be done in the next 2-3
weeks?
--- For a new artist, what is the easiest type of art package to
contribute to?  Maybe have Xubuntu artists work to create small art
concepts for Xubuntu schwag.  Xubuntu stickers, a xubuntu mousepad . .
. and talk to Mark (or someone) once we have a collection of them
about getting Xubuntu stuff on the Ubuntu store.  (There is Kubuntu
stuff for sale now.)
--- For a new documentor, what are the docs most in need of
review/update, and how can I submit a patch to make the docs better?
What are two wiki pages or sections that could use some love?
--- For a web developer, what tidbits could be improved upon on our
website to make it better?  A shading of this graphical element...
rounding this corner, etc.
--- These "goodies" should be documented and made available via our
monthly team reports, & included in our bloggings somehow.  These
goodies may even encourage "drive-by contributors" to certain projects
- people who just want to work on one or two tidbits, and then move on
to something else.  Jono could maybe even provide some additional
ideas with him writing his book.

*** Development ***
-- Contribute something similar to the "Overview of the GNOME Platform" (
http://developer.gnome.org/doc/guides/platform-overview/platform-overview.html
) to the Xfce project.
-- Create a graphical representation of the different components of
the Xfce platform so that new developers can see how the components
fit together.  I think this should be relatively straight-forward
after the platform doc is created.

*** Consistent Xubuntu Visual Presence ***
-- Knome has been great about this (he got Nick Ali to change the
Xubuntu icon that was being used for the Xubuntu group on identi.ca),
but more can be done, I think.  For example,
cdimage.ubuntu.com/kubuntu ... they get to use the Kubuntu blue on the
download page.  How did they do that?  wiki.kubuntu.org . . . we
should be able to do something similar.

*** Website ***
-- Wiki and system docs available from Xubuntu.org
-- Xubuntu developer blog ala launchpad and server team blogs,
available via planet.xubuntu.org?  I think Cody is already working on
this in one shape or another.

Thanks, all,

Jim