[gentoo-dev] how to become a package maintainer

[gentoo-dev] how to become a package maintainer

[Robert Welz]

I am a gentoo user and software developer for a quite a little while.
I found out that I have some spare time and I like to prepare myself to
become a package maintainer.

Are there any links that provide volunteers with the neccessary know how
of how to maintain a project? I have some money to buy a dedicated
machine, preferrably an AMD 64. Projects could be something in C++
combined with networking or PHP/Perl stuff.

Just in case I decide not to volunteer for private reasons these papers
may be beneficial for others, too.


Robert

[gentoo-dev] Re: how to become a package maintainer

[Duncan]

Robert Welz posted on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:42:48 +0200 as excerpted:

> I am a gentoo user and software developer for a quite a little while. I
> found out that I have some spare time and I like to prepare myself to
> become a package maintainer.
> 
> Are there any links that provide volunteers with the neccessary know how
> of how to maintain a project? I have some money to buy a dedicated
> machine, preferrably an AMD 64. Projects could be something in C++
> combined with networking or PHP/Perl stuff.
> 
> Just in case I decide not to volunteer for private reasons these papers
> may be beneficial for others, too.

http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/handbook/handbook.xml

That's the Gentoo developer handbook, which is a good place to get a feel 
for what's involved at that level.  Note that there's both the formal 
Gentoo dev political process documented and Gentoo technology (ebuilds, 
eclasses, metadata, common mistakes, etc) guides.

Generally, the idea is to start on something small and work with the 
current devs.  Once they know you, the rest more or less comes naturally 
over time.  Know that there are many who ultimately don't make /that/ big 
a commitment, but who have time to help with the smaller stuff that's the 
first steps toward full developership anyway.

The bug-day Saturdays are a great way to get started.  Or choose an area 
(Gentoo project) you're interested in, hang out here and/or on the IRC 
dev channel and/or the the individual project lists and/or channels, 
follow the bugs for that project, help comeup with and test patches, etc.

Many of the projects have testing overlays where stuff that's not ready 
for the main tree is worked on.  Java has a big one, as does KDE, both 
with a lot of help from non-(gentoo-)dev project testers, many of which 
have commit rights to they project overlays.  There's also the 
experimental projects, or projects that started that way, that are headed 
toward merging into the Gentoo mainstream now.  Gentoo-prefix, devoted to 
making it possible to install Gentoo packages in a user's home dir or the 
like, on Linux or other platforms, is a big one that's headed toward 
merge at this point.

Another way to start if you have specific applications you are interested 
in is with proxy maintainership if a package is in the tree, or the 
Sunrise overlay, for packages not yet in the tree.  A proxy maintained 
package has a non-(gentoo-)dev doing much or all of the real work, bug 
fixing, etc, working closely with a full Gentoo dev (or project/herd if 
it's herd maintained) doing the final commits to the tree but often 
little else, at least once the relationship has been established.  The 
Sunrise overlay is for packages not yet in the tree, but that have 
various Gentoo community users maintaining them.  There's a few Gentoo 
devs that work with them, helping them get the packages into full Gentoo 
shape, so ultimately, if a dev finds the package useful, they can bring 
it into the main Gentoo tree where it may continue to be proxy maintained 
by the same community user.  Of course, there's more packages than devs 
to maintain them, so not all packages ultimately make it into the tree, 
but Sunrise is there for them as long as there's someone in the community 
interested in doing the maintaining at that level.

The various arch teams have arch-testers (ATs) as well.  These guys help 
the devs on the arch teams test packages for keyword stabilization, etc.

Don't forget the Gentoo Documentation Documentation project as well.  
They could certainly use some help from someone willing to learn the way 
Gentoo handles its docs and get their hands dirty helping to maintain 
them.  There's always documentation updates that could be done! =:^)

Many, probably most Gentoo devs come in thru one of these paths, starting 
out working with a project in an overlay or with a proxy maintained or 
sunrise package, or as an AT.  Other quite active users at that level are 
content to stay active at that level without ever becoming full Gentoo 
devs for whatever reason (time, politics, whatever).  Either way, they 
can rest well, knowing they're filling a vital role in the Gentoo 
community, and thru it, the larger free/libre and open source software 
community.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: how to become a package maintainer

[Robert Welz]

Am 24.10.2009 um 14:44 schrieb Duncan:

> Robert Welz posted on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:42:48 +0200 as excerpted:
>
>> I am a gentoo user and software developer for a quite a little  
>> while. I
>> found out that I have some spare time and I like to prepare myself to
>> become a package maintainer.
>>
>> Are there any links that provide volunteers with the neccessary  
>> know how
>> of how to maintain a project? I have some money to buy a dedicated
>> machine, preferrably an AMD 64. Projects could be something in C++
>> combined with networking or PHP/Perl stuff.
>>
>> Just in case I decide not to volunteer for private reasons these  
>> papers
>> may be beneficial for others, too.
>
> http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/handbook/handbook.xml
>
> That's the Gentoo developer handbook, which is a good place to get a  
> feel
> for what's involved at that level.  Note that there's both the formal
> Gentoo dev political process documented and Gentoo technology  
> (ebuilds,
> eclasses, metadata, common mistakes, etc) guides.
>
> Generally, the idea is to start on something small and work with the
> current devs.  Once they know you, the rest more or less comes  
> naturally
> over time.  Know that there are many who ultimately don't make / 
> that/ big
> a commitment, but who have time to help with the smaller stuff  
> that's the
> first steps toward full developership anyway.
>
> The bug-day Saturdays are a great way to get started.  Or choose an  
> area
> (Gentoo project) you're interested in, hang out here and/or on the IRC
> dev channel and/or the the individual project lists and/or channels,
> follow the bugs for that project, help comeup with and test patches,  
> etc.
>
> Many of the projects have testing overlays where stuff that's not  
> ready
> for the main tree is worked on.  Java has a big one, as does KDE, both
> with a lot of help from non-(gentoo-)dev project testers, many of  
> which
> have commit rights to they project overlays.  There's also the
> experimental projects, or projects that started that way, that are  
> headed
> toward merging into the Gentoo mainstream now.  Gentoo-prefix,  
> devoted to
> making it possible to install Gentoo packages in a user's home dir  
> or the
> like, on Linux or other platforms, is a big one that's headed toward
> merge at this point.
>
> Another way to start if you have specific applications you are  
> interested
> in is with proxy maintainership if a package is in the tree, or the
> Sunrise overlay, for packages not yet in the tree.  A proxy maintained
> package has a non-(gentoo-)dev doing much or all of the real work, bug
> fixing, etc, working closely with a full Gentoo dev (or project/herd  
> if
> it's herd maintained) doing the final commits to the tree but often
> little else, at least once the relationship has been established.  The
> Sunrise overlay is for packages not yet in the tree, but that have
> various Gentoo community users maintaining them.  There's a few Gentoo
> devs that work with them, helping them get the packages into full  
> Gentoo
> shape, so ultimately, if a dev finds the package useful, they can  
> bring
> it into the main Gentoo tree where it may continue to be proxy  
> maintained
> by the same community user.  Of course, there's more packages than  
> devs
> to maintain them, so not all packages ultimately make it into the  
> tree,
> but Sunrise is there for them as long as there's someone in the  
> community
> interested in doing the maintaining at that level.
>
> The various arch teams have arch-testers (ATs) as well.  These guys  
> help
> the devs on the arch teams test packages for keyword stabilization,  
> etc.
>
> Don't forget the Gentoo Documentation Documentation project as well.
> They could certainly use some help from someone willing to learn the  
> way
> Gentoo handles its docs and get their hands dirty helping to maintain
> them.  There's always documentation updates that could be done! =:^)
>
> Many, probably most Gentoo devs come in thru one of these paths,  
> starting
> out working with a project in an overlay or with a proxy maintained or
> sunrise package, or as an AT.  Other quite active users at that  
> level are
> content to stay active at that level without ever becoming full Gentoo
> devs for whatever reason (time, politics, whatever).  Either way, they
> can rest well, knowing they're filling a vital role in the Gentoo
> community, and thru it, the larger free/libre and open source software
> community.
>
> -- 
> Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
> "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
> and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

Thank you very much for the explanation. It is a very very helpful
introduction. I will start work now and when winter is over, lets see if
I have found a project which fits to me and my work experience.

At the moment I work for a Company in Mannheim which does a Linux and C 
++
based server which is very intelligent and once configured quite slick.

My own preferences, which started as a hobby during studies to become a
Mathematc/Physics teacher is web server with a centralized email  
system but
redundant accounting. LDAP was intergrated after a complete study,  
Postgres
is my favourite database. I don't like MySQL (but I don't hate it).

I am medium expert in WxWidgets, becourse I started writing C++ software
after reading a lot about C++, STL. My favourite computersystems are  
my MacPro
and my 2 Linux server, one hardend gentoo and one vhost. I think I get  
a little
tux@home Mini ITX for development and I am looking forward too see you  
again here
once I finished with my training.

regards,
Robert