1 # SOME DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
2 # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 # This file is distributed under the same license as the PACKAGE package.
4 # FIRST AUTHOR <EMAIL@ADDRESS>, YEAR.
9 "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
10 "POT-Creation-Date: 2008-08-08 11:33-0300\n"
11 "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
12 "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
13 "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
15 "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8\n"
16 "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING"
18 # type: Content of: <chapter><title>
19 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:7
20 msgid "Beyond Packaging"
23 # type: Content of: <chapter><para>
24 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:9
26 "Debian is about a lot more than just packaging software and maintaining "
27 "those packages. This chapter contains information about ways, often really "
28 "critical ways, to contribute to Debian beyond simply creating and "
29 "maintaining packages."
32 # type: Content of: <chapter><para>
33 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:14
35 "As a volunteer organization, Debian relies on the discretion of its members "
36 "in choosing what they want to work on and in choosing the most critical "
37 "thing to spend their time on."
40 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
41 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:19
45 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
46 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:21
48 "We encourage you to file bugs as you find them in Debian packages. In fact, "
49 "Debian developers are often the first line testers. Finding and reporting "
50 "bugs in other developers' packages improves the quality of Debian."
53 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
54 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:26
56 "Read the <ulink url=\"&url-bts-report;\">instructions for reporting "
57 "bugs</ulink> in the Debian <ulink url=\"&url-bts;\">bug tracking "
61 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
62 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:31
64 "Try to submit the bug from a normal user account at which you are likely to "
65 "receive mail, so that people can reach you if they need further information "
66 "about the bug. Do not submit bugs as root."
69 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
70 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:36
72 "You can use a tool like <citerefentry> "
73 "<refentrytitle>reportbug</refentrytitle> <manvolnum>1</manvolnum> "
74 "</citerefentry> to submit bugs. It can automate and generally ease the "
78 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
79 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:41
81 "Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package. Each package has "
82 "a bug list easily reachable at "
83 "<literal>http://&bugs-host;/<replaceable>packagename</replaceable></literal> "
84 "Utilities like <citerefentry> <refentrytitle>querybts</refentrytitle> "
85 "<manvolnum>1</manvolnum> </citerefentry> can also provide you with this "
86 "information (and <command>reportbug</command> will usually invoke "
87 "<command>querybts</command> before sending, too)."
90 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
91 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:50
93 "Try to direct your bugs to the proper location. When for example your bug "
94 "is about a package which overwrites files from another package, check the "
95 "bug lists for <emphasis>both</emphasis> of those packages in order to avoid "
96 "filing duplicate bug reports."
99 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
100 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:56
102 "For extra credit, you can go through other packages, merging bugs which are "
103 "reported more than once, or tagging bugs `fixed' when they have already been "
104 "fixed. Note that when you are neither the bug submitter nor the package "
105 "maintainer, you should not actually close the bug (unless you secure "
106 "permission from the maintainer)."
109 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
110 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:63
112 "From time to time you may want to check what has been going on with the bug "
113 "reports that you submitted. Take this opportunity to close those that you "
114 "can't reproduce anymore. To find out all the bugs you submitted, you just "
116 "<literal>http://&bugs-host;/from:<replaceable><your-email-addr></replaceable></literal>."
119 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
120 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:70
121 msgid "Reporting lots of bugs at once (mass bug filing)"
124 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
125 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:72
127 "Reporting a great number of bugs for the same problem on a great number of "
128 "different packages — i.e., more than 10 — is a deprecated practice. Take "
129 "all possible steps to avoid submitting bulk bugs at all. For instance, if "
130 "checking for the problem can be automated, add a new check to <systemitem "
131 "role=\"package\">lintian</systemitem> so that an error or warning is "
135 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
136 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:79
138 "If you report more than 10 bugs on the same topic at once, it is recommended "
139 "that you send a message to &email-debian-devel; describing your intention "
140 "before submitting the report, and mentioning the fact in the subject of your "
141 "mail. This will allow other developers to verify that the bug is a real "
142 "problem. In addition, it will help prevent a situation in which several "
143 "maintainers start filing the same bug report simultaneously."
146 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
147 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:87
149 "Please use the programms <command>dd-list</command> and if appropriate "
150 "<command>whodepends</command> (from the package devscripts) to generate a "
151 "list of all affected packages, and include the output in your mail to "
152 "&email-debian-devel;."
155 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
156 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:93
158 "Note that when sending lots of bugs on the same subject, you should send the "
159 "bug report to <email>maintonly@&bugs-host;</email> so that the bug report is "
160 "not forwarded to the bug distribution mailing list."
163 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
164 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:102
165 msgid "Quality Assurance effort"
168 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
169 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:104
173 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
174 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:106
176 "Even though there is a dedicated group of people for Quality Assurance, QA "
177 "duties are not reserved solely for them. You can participate in this effort "
178 "by keeping your packages as bug-free as possible, and as lintian-clean (see "
179 "<xref linkend=\"lintian\"/> ) as possible. If you do not find that "
180 "possible, then you should consider orphaning some of your packages (see "
181 "<xref linkend=\"orphaning\"/> ). Alternatively, you may ask the help of "
182 "other people in order to catch up with the backlog of bugs that you have "
183 "(you can ask for help on &email-debian-qa; or &email-debian-devel;). At the "
184 "same time, you can look for co-maintainers (see <xref "
185 "linkend=\"collaborative-maint\"/> )."
188 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
189 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:120
190 msgid "Bug squashing parties"
193 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
194 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:122
196 "From time to time the QA group organizes bug squashing parties to get rid of "
197 "as many problems as possible. They are announced on "
198 "&email-debian-devel-announce; and the announcement explains which area will "
199 "be the focus of the party: usually they focus on release critical bugs but "
200 "it may happen that they decide to help finish a major upgrade (like a new "
201 "<command>perl</command> version which requires recompilation of all the "
205 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
206 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:131
208 "The rules for non-maintainer uploads differ during the parties because the "
209 "announcement of the party is considered prior notice for NMU. If you have "
210 "packages that may be affected by the party (because they have release "
211 "critical bugs for example), you should send an update to each of the "
212 "corresponding bug to explain their current status and what you expect from "
213 "the party. If you don't want an NMU, or if you're only interested in a "
214 "patch, or if you will deal yourself with the bug, please explain that in the "
218 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
219 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:140
221 "People participating in the party have special rules for NMU, they can NMU "
222 "without prior notice if they upload their NMU to DELAYED/3-day at least. "
223 "All other NMU rules apply as usually; they should send the patch of the NMU "
224 "to the BTS (to one of the open bugs fixed by the NMU, or to a new bug, "
225 "tagged fixed). They should also respect any particular wishes of the "
229 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
230 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:147
232 "If you don't feel confident about doing an NMU, just send a patch to the "
233 "BTS. It's far better than a broken NMU."
236 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
237 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:155
238 msgid "Contacting other maintainers"
241 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
242 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:157
244 "During your lifetime within Debian, you will have to contact other "
245 "maintainers for various reasons. You may want to discuss a new way of "
246 "cooperating between a set of related packages, or you may simply remind "
247 "someone that a new upstream version is available and that you need it."
250 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
251 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:163
253 "Looking up the email address of the maintainer for the package can be "
254 "distracting. Fortunately, there is a simple email alias, "
255 "<literal><package>@&packages-host;</literal>, which provides a way to "
256 "email the maintainer, whatever their individual email address (or addresses) "
257 "may be. Replace <literal><package></literal> with the name of a "
258 "source or a binary package."
261 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
262 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:171
264 "You may also be interested in contacting the persons who are subscribed to a "
265 "given source package via <xref linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> . You can "
266 "do so by using the <literal><package>@&pts-host;</literal> email "
270 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
271 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:180
272 msgid "Dealing with inactive and/or unreachable maintainers"
275 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
276 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:182
278 "If you notice that a package is lacking maintenance, you should make sure "
279 "that the maintainer is active and will continue to work on their packages. "
280 "It is possible that they are not active any more, but haven't registered out "
281 "of the system, so to speak. On the other hand, it is also possible that "
282 "they just need a reminder."
285 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
286 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:189
288 "There is a simple system (the MIA database) in which information about "
289 "maintainers who are deemed Missing In Action is recorded. When a member of "
290 "the QA group contacts an inactive maintainer or finds more information about "
291 "one, this is recorded in the MIA database. This system is available in "
292 "<filename>/org/qa.debian.org/mia</filename> on the host "
293 "<literal>qa.debian.org </literal>, and can be queried with the "
294 "<command>mia-query</command> tool. Use <command>mia-query --help</command> "
295 "to see how to query the database. If you find that no information has been "
296 "recorded about an inactive maintainer yet, or that you can add more "
297 "information, you should generally proceed as follows."
300 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
301 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:200
303 "The first step is to politely contact the maintainer, and wait a reasonable "
304 "time for a response. It is quite hard to define reasonable time, but it is "
305 "important to take into account that real life is sometimes very hectic. One "
306 "way to handle this would be to send a reminder after two weeks."
309 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
310 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:206
312 "If the maintainer doesn't reply within four weeks (a month), one can assume "
313 "that a response will probably not happen. If that happens, you should "
314 "investigate further, and try to gather as much useful information about the "
315 "maintainer in question as possible. This includes:"
318 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
319 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:214
321 "The <literal>echelon</literal> information available through the <ulink "
322 "url=\"&url-debian-db;\">developers' LDAP database</ulink>, which indicates "
323 "when the developer last posted to a Debian mailing list. (This includes "
324 "mails about uploads distributed via the &email-debian-devel-changes; list.) "
325 "Also, remember to check whether the maintainer is marked as on vacation in "
329 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
330 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:224
332 "The number of packages this maintainer is responsible for, and the condition "
333 "of those packages. In particular, are there any RC bugs that have been open "
334 "for ages? Furthermore, how many bugs are there in general? Another important "
335 "piece of information is whether the packages have been NMUed, and if so, by "
339 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
340 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:233
342 "Is there any activity of the maintainer outside of Debian? For example, they "
343 "might have posted something recently to non-Debian mailing lists or news "
347 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
348 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:240
350 "A bit of a problem are packages which were sponsored — the maintainer is not "
351 "an official Debian developer. The <literal>echelon</literal> information is "
352 "not available for sponsored people, for example, so you need to find and "
353 "contact the Debian developer who has actually uploaded the package. Given "
354 "that they signed the package, they're responsible for the upload anyhow, and "
355 "are likely to know what happened to the person they sponsored."
358 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
359 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:248
361 "It is also allowed to post a query to &email-debian-devel;, asking if anyone "
362 "is aware of the whereabouts of the missing maintainer. Please Cc: the "
363 "person in question."
366 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
367 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:253
369 "Once you have gathered all of this, you can contact &email-mia;. People on "
370 "this alias will use the information you provide in order to decide how to "
371 "proceed. For example, they might orphan one or all of the packages of the "
372 "maintainer. If a package has been NMUed, they might prefer to contact the "
373 "NMUer before orphaning the package — perhaps the person who has done the NMU "
374 "is interested in the package."
377 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
378 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:261
380 "One last word: please remember to be polite. We are all volunteers and "
381 "cannot dedicate all of our time to Debian. Also, you are not aware of the "
382 "circumstances of the person who is involved. Perhaps they might be "
383 "seriously ill or might even have died — you do not know who may be on the "
384 "receiving side. Imagine how a relative will feel if they read the e-mail of "
385 "the deceased and find a very impolite, angry and accusing message!"
388 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
389 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:269
391 "On the other hand, although we are volunteers, we do have a responsibility. "
392 "So you can stress the importance of the greater good — if a maintainer does "
393 "not have the time or interest anymore, they should let go and give the "
394 "package to someone with more time."
397 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
398 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:275
400 "If you are interested in working in the MIA team, please have a look at the "
401 "README file in <filename>/org/qa.debian.org/mia</filename> on <literal> "
402 "qa.debian.org</literal> where the technical details and the MIA procedures "
403 "are documented and contact &email-mia;."
406 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
407 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:283
408 msgid "Interacting with prospective Debian developers"
411 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
412 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:285
414 "Debian's success depends on its ability to attract and retain new and "
415 "talented volunteers. If you are an experienced developer, we recommend that "
416 "you get involved with the process of bringing in new developers. This "
417 "section describes how to help new prospective developers."
420 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
421 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:291
422 msgid "Sponsoring packages"
425 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
426 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:293
428 "Sponsoring a package means uploading a package for a maintainer who is not "
429 "able to do it on their own, a new maintainer applicant. Sponsoring a "
430 "package also means accepting responsibility for it."
433 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
434 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:304
436 "New maintainers usually have certain difficulties creating Debian packages — "
437 "this is quite understandable. That is why the sponsor is there, to check "
438 "the package and verify that it is good enough for inclusion in Debian. "
439 "(Note that if the sponsored package is new, the ftpmasters will also have to "
440 "inspect it before letting it in.)"
443 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
444 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:311
446 "Sponsoring merely by signing the upload or just recompiling is <emphasis "
447 "role=\"strong\">definitely not recommended</emphasis>. You need to build "
448 "the source package just like you would build a package of your own. "
449 "Remember that it doesn't matter that you left the prospective developer's "
450 "name both in the changelog and the control file, the upload can still be "
454 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
455 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:318
457 "If you are an application manager for a prospective developer, you can also "
458 "be their sponsor. That way you can also verify how the applicant is "
459 "handling the 'Tasks and Skills' part of their application."
462 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
463 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:325
464 msgid "Managing sponsored packages"
467 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
468 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:327
470 "By uploading a sponsored package to Debian, you are certifying that the "
471 "package meets minimum Debian standards. That implies that you must build "
472 "and test the package on your own system before uploading."
475 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
476 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:332
478 "You cannot simply upload a binary <filename>.deb</filename> from the "
479 "sponsoree. In theory, you should only ask for the diff file and the "
480 "location of the original source tarball, and then you should download the "
481 "source and apply the diff yourself. In practice, you may want to use the "
482 "source package built by your sponsoree. In that case, you have to check "
483 "that they haven't altered the upstream files in the "
484 "<filename>.orig.tar.gz</filename> file that they're providing."
487 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
488 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:341
490 "Do not be afraid to write the sponsoree back and point out changes that need "
491 "to be made. It often takes several rounds of back-and-forth email before "
492 "the package is in acceptable shape. Being a sponsor means being a mentor."
495 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
496 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:346
497 msgid "Once the package meets Debian standards, build and sign it with"
500 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
501 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:348
505 "dpkg-buildpackage -k<replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>\n"
508 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
509 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:352
511 "before uploading it to the incoming directory. Of course, you can also use "
512 "any part of your <replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>, as long as it's unique "
513 "in your secret keyring."
516 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
517 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:357
519 "The Maintainer field of the <filename>control</filename> file and the "
520 "<filename>changelog</filename> should list the person who did the packaging, "
521 "i.e., the sponsoree. The sponsoree will therefore get all the BTS mail "
525 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
526 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:363
528 "If you prefer to leave a more evident trace of your sponsorship job, you can "
529 "add a line stating it in the most recent changelog entry."
532 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
533 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:367
535 "You are encouraged to keep tabs on the package you sponsor using <xref "
536 "linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> ."
539 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
540 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:373
541 msgid "Advocating new developers"
544 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
545 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:375
547 "See the page about <ulink url=\"&url-newmaint-advocate;\">advocating a "
548 "prospective developer</ulink> at the Debian web site."
551 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
552 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:382
553 msgid "Handling new maintainer applications"
556 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
557 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:384
559 "Please see <ulink url=\"&url-newmaint-amchecklist;\">Checklist for "
560 "Application Managers</ulink> at the Debian web site."