1 # SOME DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
2 # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc.
3 # FIRST AUTHOR <EMAIL@ADDRESS>, YEAR.
8 "Project-Id-Version: PACKAGE VERSION\n"
9 "POT-Creation-Date: 2007-06-26 16:13+0000\n"
10 "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
11 "Last-Translator: FULL NAME <EMAIL@ADDRESS>\n"
12 "Language-Team: LANGUAGE <LL@li.org>\n"
14 "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8\n"
15 "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING"
17 # type: Content of: <chapter><title>
18 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:5
19 msgid "Beyond Packaging"
22 # type: Content of: <chapter><para>
23 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:7
25 "Debian is about a lot more than just packaging software and maintaining "
26 "those packages. This chapter contains information about ways, often really "
27 "critical ways, to contribute to Debian beyond simply creating and "
28 "maintaining packages."
31 # type: Content of: <chapter><para>
32 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:12
34 "As a volunteer organization, Debian relies on the discretion of its members "
35 "in choosing what they want to work on and in choosing the most critical "
36 "thing to spend their time on."
39 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
40 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:17
44 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
45 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:19
47 "We encourage you to file bugs as you find them in Debian packages. In fact, "
48 "Debian developers are often the first line testers. Finding and reporting "
49 "bugs in other developers' packages improves the quality of Debian."
52 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
53 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:24
55 "Read the <ulink url=\"http://www.debian.org/Bugs/Reporting\">instructions "
56 "for reporting bugs</ulink> in the Debian <ulink "
57 "url=\"http://www.debian.org/Bugs/\">bug tracking system</ulink>."
60 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
61 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:29
63 "Try to submit the bug from a normal user account at which you are likely to "
64 "receive mail, so that people can reach you if they need further information "
65 "about the bug. Do not submit bugs as root."
68 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
69 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:34
71 "You can use a tool like <citerefentry> "
72 "<refentrytitle>reportbug</refentrytitle> <manvolnum>1</manvolnum> "
73 "</citerefentry> to submit bugs. It can automate and generally ease the "
77 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
78 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:39
80 "Make sure the bug is not already filed against a package. Each package has "
81 "a bug list easily reachable at "
82 "<literal>http://bugs.debian.org/<replaceable>packagename</replaceable></literal> "
83 "Utilities like <citerefentry> <refentrytitle>querybts</refentrytitle> "
84 "<manvolnum>1</manvolnum> </citerefentry> can also provide you with this "
85 "information (and <command>reportbug</command> will usually invoke "
86 "<command>querybts</command> before sending, too)."
89 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
90 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:48
92 "Try to direct your bugs to the proper location. When for example your bug "
93 "is about a package which overwrites files from another package, check the "
94 "bug lists for <emphasis>both</emphasis> of those packages in order to avoid "
95 "filing duplicate bug reports."
98 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
99 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:54
101 "For extra credit, you can go through other packages, merging bugs which are "
102 "reported more than once, or tagging bugs `fixed' when they have already been "
103 "fixed. Note that when you are neither the bug submitter nor the package "
104 "maintainer, you should not actually close the bug (unless you secure "
105 "permission from the maintainer)."
108 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
109 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:61
111 "From time to time you may want to check what has been going on with the bug "
112 "reports that you submitted. Take this opportunity to close those that you "
113 "can't reproduce anymore. To find out all the bugs you submitted, you just "
115 "<literal>http://bugs.debian.org/from:<replaceable><your-email-addr></replaceable></literal>."
118 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
119 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:68
120 msgid "Reporting lots of bugs at once (mass bug filing)"
123 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
124 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:70
126 "Reporting a great number of bugs for the same problem on a great number of "
127 "different packages — i.e., more than 10 — is a deprecated practice. Take "
128 "all possible steps to avoid submitting bulk bugs at all. For instance, if "
129 "checking for the problem can be automated, add a new check to <systemitem "
130 "role=\"package\">lintian</systemitem> so that an error or warning is "
134 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
135 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:77
137 "If you report more than 10 bugs on the same topic at once, it is recommended "
138 "that you send a message to <email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email> "
139 "describing your intention before submitting the report, and mentioning the "
140 "fact in the subject of your mail. This will allow other developers to "
141 "verify that the bug is a real problem. In addition, it will help prevent a "
142 "situation in which several maintainers start filing the same bug report "
146 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
147 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:85
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@lists.debian.org</email>."
155 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
156 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:91
158 "Note that when sending lots of bugs on the same subject, you should send the "
159 "bug report to <email>maintonly@bugs.debian.org</email> so that the bug "
160 "report is not forwarded to the bug distribution mailing list."
163 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
164 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:100
165 msgid "Quality Assurance effort"
168 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
169 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:102
173 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
174 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:104
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@lists.debian.org</email> or "
184 "<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>). At the same time, you can "
185 "look for co-maintainers (see <xref linkend=\"collaborative-maint\"/> )."
188 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
189 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:118
190 msgid "Bug squashing parties"
193 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
194 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:120
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@lists.debian.org</email> and the announcement "
199 "explains which area will be the focus of the party: usually they focus on "
200 "release critical bugs but it may happen that they decide to help finish a "
201 "major upgrade (like a new perl version which requires recompilation of all "
202 "the binary modules)."
205 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
206 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:129
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:138
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:145
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:153
238 msgid "Contacting other maintainers"
241 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
242 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:155
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:161
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.debian.org</literal>, which provides a way "
256 "to email the maintainer, whatever their individual email address (or "
257 "addresses) may be. Replace <literal><package></literal> with the "
258 "name of a source or a binary package."
261 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
262 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:169
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>@packages.qa.debian.org</literal> "
270 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
271 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:177
272 msgid "Dealing with inactive and/or unreachable maintainers"
275 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
276 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:179
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:186
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 "/org/qa.debian.org/mia on the host qa.debian.org, and can be queried with a "
293 "tool known as <command>mia-query</command>. Use"
296 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><screen>
297 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:194
299 msgid "-query --help"
302 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
303 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:197
305 "to see how to query the database. If you find that no information has been "
306 "recorded about an inactive maintainer yet, or that you can add more "
307 "information, you should generally proceed as follows."
310 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
311 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:202
313 "The first step is to politely contact the maintainer, and wait a reasonable "
314 "time for a response. It is quite hard to define reasonable time, but it is "
315 "important to take into account that real life is sometimes very hectic. One "
316 "way to handle this would be to send a reminder after two weeks."
319 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
320 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:208
322 "If the maintainer doesn't reply within four weeks (a month), one can assume "
323 "that a response will probably not happen. If that happens, you should "
324 "investigate further, and try to gather as much useful information about the "
325 "maintainer in question as possible. This includes:"
328 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
329 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:216
331 "The echelon information available through the <ulink "
332 "url=\"https://db.debian.org/\">developers' LDAP database</ulink>, which "
333 "indicates when the developer last posted to a Debian mailing list. (This "
334 "includes uploads via debian-*-changes lists.) Also, remember to check "
335 "whether the maintainer is marked as on vacation in the database."
338 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
339 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:225
341 "The number of packages this maintainer is responsible for, and the condition "
342 "of those packages. In particular, are there any RC bugs that have been open "
343 "for ages? Furthermore, how many bugs are there in general? Another important "
344 "piece of information is whether the packages have been NMUed, and if so, by "
348 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
349 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:234
351 "Is there any activity of the maintainer outside of Debian? For example, they "
352 "might have posted something recently to non-Debian mailing lists or news "
356 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
357 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:241
359 "A bit of a problem are packages which were sponsored — the maintainer is not "
360 "an official Debian developer. The echelon information is not available for "
361 "sponsored people, for example, so you need to find and contact the Debian "
362 "developer who has actually uploaded the package. Given that they signed the "
363 "package, they're responsible for the upload anyhow, and are likely to know "
364 "what happened to the person they sponsored."
367 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
368 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:249
370 "It is also allowed to post a query to "
371 "<email>debian-devel@lists.debian.org</email>, asking if anyone is aware of "
372 "the whereabouts of the missing maintainer. Please Cc: the person in "
376 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
377 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:254
379 "Once you have gathered all of this, you can contact "
380 "<email>mia@qa.debian.org</email>. People on this alias will use the "
381 "information you provide in order to decide how to proceed. For example, "
382 "they might orphan one or all of the packages of the maintainer. If a "
383 "package has been NMUed, they might prefer to contact the NMUer before "
384 "orphaning the package — perhaps the person who has done the NMU is "
385 "interested in the package."
388 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
389 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:262
391 "One last word: please remember to be polite. We are all volunteers and "
392 "cannot dedicate all of our time to Debian. Also, you are not aware of the "
393 "circumstances of the person who is involved. Perhaps they might be "
394 "seriously ill or might even have died — you do not know who may be on the "
395 "receiving side. Imagine how a relative will feel if they read the e-mail of "
396 "the deceased and find a very impolite, angry and accusing message!"
399 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
400 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:270
402 "On the other hand, although we are volunteers, we do have a responsibility. "
403 "So you can stress the importance of the greater good — if a maintainer does "
404 "not have the time or interest anymore, they should let go and give the "
405 "package to someone with more time."
408 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
409 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:276
411 "If you are interested in working in the MIA team, please have a look at the "
412 "README file in /org/qa.debian.org/mia on qa.debian.org where the technical "
413 "details and the MIA procedures are documented and contact "
414 "<email>mia@qa.debian.org</email>."
417 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
418 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:284
419 msgid "Interacting with prospective Debian developers"
422 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
423 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:286
425 "Debian's success depends on its ability to attract and retain new and "
426 "talented volunteers. If you are an experienced developer, we recommend that "
427 "you get involved with the process of bringing in new developers. This "
428 "section describes how to help new prospective developers."
431 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
432 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:292
433 msgid "Sponsoring packages"
436 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
437 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:294
439 "Sponsoring a package means uploading a package for a maintainer who is not "
440 "able to do it on their own, a new maintainer applicant. Sponsoring a "
441 "package also means accepting responsibility for it."
444 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
445 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:299
447 "New maintainers usually have certain difficulties creating Debian packages — "
448 "this is quite understandable. That is why the sponsor is there, to check "
449 "the package and verify that it is good enough for inclusion in Debian. "
450 "(Note that if the sponsored package is new, the ftpmasters will also have to "
451 "inspect it before letting it in.)"
454 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
455 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:306
457 "Sponsoring merely by signing the upload or just recompiling is <emphasis "
458 "role=\"strong\">definitely not recommended</emphasis>. You need to build "
459 "the source package just like you would build a package of your own. "
460 "Remember that it doesn't matter that you left the prospective developer's "
461 "name both in the changelog and the control file, the upload can still be "
465 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
466 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:313
468 "If you are an application manager for a prospective developer, you can also "
469 "be their sponsor. That way you can also verify how the applicant is "
470 "handling the 'Tasks and Skills' part of their application."
473 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
474 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:320
475 msgid "Managing sponsored packages"
478 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
479 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:322
481 "By uploading a sponsored package to Debian, you are certifying that the "
482 "package meets minimum Debian standards. That implies that you must build "
483 "and test the package on your own system before uploading."
486 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
487 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:327
489 "You cannot simply upload a binary <filename>.deb</filename> from the "
490 "sponsoree. In theory, you should only ask for the diff file and the "
491 "location of the original source tarball, and then you should download the "
492 "source and apply the diff yourself. In practice, you may want to use the "
493 "source package built by your sponsoree. In that case, you have to check "
494 "that they haven't altered the upstream files in the "
495 "<filename>.orig.tar.gz</filename> file that they're providing."
498 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
499 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:336
501 "Do not be afraid to write the sponsoree back and point out changes that need "
502 "to be made. It often takes several rounds of back-and-forth email before "
503 "the package is in acceptable shape. Being a sponsor means being a mentor."
506 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
507 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:341
508 msgid "Once the package meets Debian standards, build and sign it with"
511 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
512 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:344
514 msgid "-buildpackage -k<replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>"
517 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
518 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:347
520 "before uploading it to the incoming directory. Of course, you can also use "
521 "any part of your <replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>, as long as it's unique "
522 "in your secret keyring."
525 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
526 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:352
528 "The Maintainer field of the <filename>control</filename> file and the "
529 "<filename>changelog</filename> should list the person who did the packaging, "
530 "i.e., the sponsoree. The sponsoree will therefore get all the BTS mail "
534 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
535 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:358
537 "If you prefer to leave a more evident trace of your sponsorship job, you can "
538 "add a line stating it in the most recent changelog entry."
541 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
542 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:362
544 "You are encouraged to keep tabs on the package you sponsor using <xref "
545 "linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> ."
548 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
549 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:368
550 msgid "Advocating new developers"
553 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
554 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:370
556 "See the page about <ulink "
557 "url=\"http://www.debian.org/devel/join/nm-advocate\">advocating a "
558 "prospective developer</ulink> at the Debian web site."
561 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
562 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:377
563 msgid "Handling new maintainer applications"
566 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
567 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:379
570 "url=\"http://www.debian.org/devel/join/nm-amchecklist\">Checklist for "
571 "Application Managers</ulink> at the Debian web site."