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: 2007-07-01 21:01+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:7
19 msgid "Beyond Packaging"
22 # type: Content of: <chapter><para>
23 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:9
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:14
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:19
44 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
45 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:21
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:26
55 "Read the <ulink url=\"&url-bts-report;\">instructions for reporting "
56 "bugs</ulink> in the Debian <ulink url=\"&url-bts;\">bug tracking "
60 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
61 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:31
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:36
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:41
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-host;/<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:50
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:56
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:63
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-host;/from:<replaceable><your-email-addr></replaceable></literal>."
118 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
119 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:70
120 msgid "Reporting lots of bugs at once (mass bug filing)"
123 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
124 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:72
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:79
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; describing your intention "
139 "before submitting the report, and mentioning the fact in the subject of your "
140 "mail. This will allow other developers to verify that the bug is a real "
141 "problem. In addition, it will help prevent a situation in which several "
142 "maintainers start filing the same bug report simultaneously."
145 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
146 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:87
148 "Please use the programms <command>dd-list</command> and if appropriate "
149 "<command>whodepends</command> (from the package devscripts) to generate a "
150 "list of all affected packages, and include the output in your mail to "
151 "&email-debian-devel;."
154 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
155 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:93
157 "Note that when sending lots of bugs on the same subject, you should send the "
158 "bug report to <email>maintonly@&bugs-host;</email> so that the bug report is "
159 "not forwarded to the bug distribution mailing list."
162 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
163 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:102
164 msgid "Quality Assurance effort"
167 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
168 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:104
172 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
173 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:106
175 "Even though there is a dedicated group of people for Quality Assurance, QA "
176 "duties are not reserved solely for them. You can participate in this effort "
177 "by keeping your packages as bug-free as possible, and as lintian-clean (see "
178 "<xref linkend=\"lintian\"/> ) as possible. If you do not find that "
179 "possible, then you should consider orphaning some of your packages (see "
180 "<xref linkend=\"orphaning\"/> ). Alternatively, you may ask the help of "
181 "other people in order to catch up with the backlog of bugs that you have "
182 "(you can ask for help on &email-debian-qa; or &email-debian-devel;). At the "
183 "same time, you can look for co-maintainers (see <xref "
184 "linkend=\"collaborative-maint\"/> )."
187 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
188 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:120
189 msgid "Bug squashing parties"
192 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
193 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:122
195 "From time to time the QA group organizes bug squashing parties to get rid of "
196 "as many problems as possible. They are announced on "
197 "&email-debian-devel-announce; and the announcement explains which area will "
198 "be the focus of the party: usually they focus on release critical bugs but "
199 "it may happen that they decide to help finish a major upgrade (like a new "
200 "perl version which requires recompilation of all the binary modules)."
203 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
204 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:131
206 "The rules for non-maintainer uploads differ during the parties because the "
207 "announcement of the party is considered prior notice for NMU. If you have "
208 "packages that may be affected by the party (because they have release "
209 "critical bugs for example), you should send an update to each of the "
210 "corresponding bug to explain their current status and what you expect from "
211 "the party. If you don't want an NMU, or if you're only interested in a "
212 "patch, or if you will deal yourself with the bug, please explain that in the "
216 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
217 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:140
219 "People participating in the party have special rules for NMU, they can NMU "
220 "without prior notice if they upload their NMU to DELAYED/3-day at least. "
221 "All other NMU rules apply as usually; they should send the patch of the NMU "
222 "to the BTS (to one of the open bugs fixed by the NMU, or to a new bug, "
223 "tagged fixed). They should also respect any particular wishes of the "
227 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
228 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:147
230 "If you don't feel confident about doing an NMU, just send a patch to the "
231 "BTS. It's far better than a broken NMU."
234 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
235 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:155
236 msgid "Contacting other maintainers"
239 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
240 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:157
242 "During your lifetime within Debian, you will have to contact other "
243 "maintainers for various reasons. You may want to discuss a new way of "
244 "cooperating between a set of related packages, or you may simply remind "
245 "someone that a new upstream version is available and that you need it."
248 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
249 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:163
251 "Looking up the email address of the maintainer for the package can be "
252 "distracting. Fortunately, there is a simple email alias, "
253 "<literal><package>@&packages-host;</literal>, which provides a way to "
254 "email the maintainer, whatever their individual email address (or addresses) "
255 "may be. Replace <literal><package></literal> with the name of a "
256 "source or a binary package."
259 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
260 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:171
262 "You may also be interested in contacting the persons who are subscribed to a "
263 "given source package via <xref linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> . You can "
264 "do so by using the <literal><package>@&pts-host;</literal> email "
268 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
269 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:180
270 msgid "Dealing with inactive and/or unreachable maintainers"
273 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
274 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:182
276 "If you notice that a package is lacking maintenance, you should make sure "
277 "that the maintainer is active and will continue to work on their packages. "
278 "It is possible that they are not active any more, but haven't registered out "
279 "of the system, so to speak. On the other hand, it is also possible that "
280 "they just need a reminder."
283 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
284 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:189
286 "There is a simple system (the MIA database) in which information about "
287 "maintainers who are deemed Missing In Action is recorded. When a member of "
288 "the QA group contacts an inactive maintainer or finds more information about "
289 "one, this is recorded in the MIA database. This system is available in "
290 "/org/qa.debian.org/mia on the host qa.debian.org, and can be queried with a "
291 "tool known as <command>mia-query</command>. Use <command>mia-query "
292 "--help</command> to see how to query the database. If you find that no "
293 "information has been recorded about an inactive maintainer yet, or that you "
294 "can add more information, you should generally proceed as follows."
297 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
298 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:200
300 "The first step is to politely contact the maintainer, and wait a reasonable "
301 "time for a response. It is quite hard to define reasonable time, but it is "
302 "important to take into account that real life is sometimes very hectic. One "
303 "way to handle this would be to send a reminder after two weeks."
306 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
307 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:206
309 "If the maintainer doesn't reply within four weeks (a month), one can assume "
310 "that a response will probably not happen. If that happens, you should "
311 "investigate further, and try to gather as much useful information about the "
312 "maintainer in question as possible. This includes:"
315 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
316 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:214
318 "The echelon information available through the <ulink "
319 "url=\"&url-debian-db;\">developers' LDAP database</ulink>, which indicates "
320 "when the developer last posted to a Debian mailing list. (This includes "
321 "uploads via debian-*-changes lists.) Also, remember to check whether the "
322 "maintainer is marked as on vacation in the database."
325 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
326 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:223
328 "The number of packages this maintainer is responsible for, and the condition "
329 "of those packages. In particular, are there any RC bugs that have been open "
330 "for ages? Furthermore, how many bugs are there in general? Another important "
331 "piece of information is whether the packages have been NMUed, and if so, by "
335 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><itemizedlist><listitem><para>
336 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:232
338 "Is there any activity of the maintainer outside of Debian? For example, they "
339 "might have posted something recently to non-Debian mailing lists or news "
343 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
344 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:239
346 "A bit of a problem are packages which were sponsored — the maintainer is not "
347 "an official Debian developer. The echelon information is not available for "
348 "sponsored people, for example, so you need to find and contact the Debian "
349 "developer who has actually uploaded the package. Given that they signed the "
350 "package, they're responsible for the upload anyhow, and are likely to know "
351 "what happened to the person they sponsored."
354 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
355 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:247
357 "It is also allowed to post a query to &email-debian-devel;, asking if anyone "
358 "is aware of the whereabouts of the missing maintainer. Please Cc: the "
359 "person in question."
362 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
363 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:252
365 "Once you have gathered all of this, you can contact &email-mia;. People on "
366 "this alias will use the information you provide in order to decide how to "
367 "proceed. For example, they might orphan one or all of the packages of the "
368 "maintainer. If a package has been NMUed, they might prefer to contact the "
369 "NMUer before orphaning the package — perhaps the person who has done the NMU "
370 "is interested in the package."
373 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
374 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:260
376 "One last word: please remember to be polite. We are all volunteers and "
377 "cannot dedicate all of our time to Debian. Also, you are not aware of the "
378 "circumstances of the person who is involved. Perhaps they might be "
379 "seriously ill or might even have died — you do not know who may be on the "
380 "receiving side. Imagine how a relative will feel if they read the e-mail of "
381 "the deceased and find a very impolite, angry and accusing message!"
384 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
385 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:268
387 "On the other hand, although we are volunteers, we do have a responsibility. "
388 "So you can stress the importance of the greater good — if a maintainer does "
389 "not have the time or interest anymore, they should let go and give the "
390 "package to someone with more time."
393 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
394 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:274
396 "If you are interested in working in the MIA team, please have a look at the "
397 "README file in /org/qa.debian.org/mia on qa.debian.org where the technical "
398 "details and the MIA procedures are documented and contact &email-mia;."
401 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><title>
402 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:282
403 msgid "Interacting with prospective Debian developers"
406 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><para>
407 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:284
409 "Debian's success depends on its ability to attract and retain new and "
410 "talented volunteers. If you are an experienced developer, we recommend that "
411 "you get involved with the process of bringing in new developers. This "
412 "section describes how to help new prospective developers."
415 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
416 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:290
417 msgid "Sponsoring packages"
420 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
421 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:292
423 "Sponsoring a package means uploading a package for a maintainer who is not "
424 "able to do it on their own, a new maintainer applicant. Sponsoring a "
425 "package also means accepting responsibility for it."
428 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
429 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:303
431 "New maintainers usually have certain difficulties creating Debian packages — "
432 "this is quite understandable. That is why the sponsor is there, to check "
433 "the package and verify that it is good enough for inclusion in Debian. "
434 "(Note that if the sponsored package is new, the ftpmasters will also have to "
435 "inspect it before letting it in.)"
438 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
439 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:310
441 "Sponsoring merely by signing the upload or just recompiling is <emphasis "
442 "role=\"strong\">definitely not recommended</emphasis>. You need to build "
443 "the source package just like you would build a package of your own. "
444 "Remember that it doesn't matter that you left the prospective developer's "
445 "name both in the changelog and the control file, the upload can still be "
449 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
450 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:317
452 "If you are an application manager for a prospective developer, you can also "
453 "be their sponsor. That way you can also verify how the applicant is "
454 "handling the 'Tasks and Skills' part of their application."
457 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
458 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:324
459 msgid "Managing sponsored packages"
462 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
463 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:326
465 "By uploading a sponsored package to Debian, you are certifying that the "
466 "package meets minimum Debian standards. That implies that you must build "
467 "and test the package on your own system before uploading."
470 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
471 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:331
473 "You cannot simply upload a binary <filename>.deb</filename> from the "
474 "sponsoree. In theory, you should only ask for the diff file and the "
475 "location of the original source tarball, and then you should download the "
476 "source and apply the diff yourself. In practice, you may want to use the "
477 "source package built by your sponsoree. In that case, you have to check "
478 "that they haven't altered the upstream files in the "
479 "<filename>.orig.tar.gz</filename> file that they're providing."
482 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
483 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:340
485 "Do not be afraid to write the sponsoree back and point out changes that need "
486 "to be made. It often takes several rounds of back-and-forth email before "
487 "the package is in acceptable shape. Being a sponsor means being a mentor."
490 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
491 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:345
492 msgid "Once the package meets Debian standards, build and sign it with"
495 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><screen>
496 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:348
498 msgid "dpkg-buildpackage -k<replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>"
501 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
502 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:351
504 "before uploading it to the incoming directory. Of course, you can also use "
505 "any part of your <replaceable>KEY-ID</replaceable>, as long as it's unique "
506 "in your secret keyring."
509 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
510 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:356
512 "The Maintainer field of the <filename>control</filename> file and the "
513 "<filename>changelog</filename> should list the person who did the packaging, "
514 "i.e., the sponsoree. The sponsoree will therefore get all the BTS mail "
518 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
519 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:362
521 "If you prefer to leave a more evident trace of your sponsorship job, you can "
522 "add a line stating it in the most recent changelog entry."
525 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
526 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:366
528 "You are encouraged to keep tabs on the package you sponsor using <xref "
529 "linkend=\"pkg-tracking-system\"/> ."
532 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
533 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:372
534 msgid "Advocating new developers"
537 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
538 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:374
540 "See the page about <ulink url=\"&url-newmaint-advocate;\">advocating a "
541 "prospective developer</ulink> at the Debian web site."
544 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><title>
545 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:381
546 msgid "Handling new maintainer applications"
549 # type: Content of: <chapter><section><section><para>
550 #: beyond-pkging.dbk:383
552 "Please see <ulink url=\"&url-newmaint-amchecklist;\">Checklist for "
553 "Application Managers</ulink> at the Debian web site."