Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue 249

By akgraner | Published: 2012-01-26

Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter. This is issue #249 for the week January 16 – 22, 2012, and the full version is available here.

In this Issue we cover:

The issue of The Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter is brought to you by:

  • Elizabeth Krumbach
  • Benjamin Kerensa
  • Chris Druif
  • Amber Graner
  • And many others

If you have a story idea for the Weekly Newsletter, join the Ubuntu News Team mailing list and submit it. Ideas can also be added to the wiki!

Except where otherwise noted, content in this issue is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License BY SA Creative Commons License

Ubuntu Developer Week: 31st January-2nd February

By dholbach | Published: 2012-01-25

It’s everybody’s second-most favourite time of the release again. No, not the actual release, but it’s Ubuntu Developer Week!

Ubuntu Developer WeekJoin us from Tuesday, 31st January 2012 to Thursday, 2nd February 2012 for three action-packed days full of tutorial and hands-on session all around Ubuntu development. We spared no efforts to bring you a very diverse set of topics and a very diverse set of speakers as well. This time we managed get speakers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Pakistan, Poland, South Africa, Spain, UK and USA.

No matter if you are new to Ubuntu development or quite experienced already, we are sure going to have an interesting session for you. Here’s just an excerpt of the great things to come:

  • Packaging: find out how software is put into Ubuntu and how it’s maintained. We have a variety of hands-on sessions where Ubuntu developers share their experience with you. It’s the perfect time to get involved.
    Sessions: Intro to Ubuntu development, Getting set up, Dos and Dont’s, working with Upstream projects, building packages locally, using pkgme for automatic packaging, writing good changelog entries, distributed development and loads more.
  • Quality Assurance and Bug Fixing: One of the greatest ways to contribute to Open Source is resolving problems. Not only for you, but for millions of users out there. Join in to find out from experts how to make Ubuntu even better.
    Sessions: Bug lifecycle, triaging bugs, fixing small bugs in lots of different settings, automated testing, and lots of hands-on action
  • Writing code: we will talk about apps, tools, projects and infrastructure to make writing software for Ubuntu even easier.
    Sessions: automated testing, pair programming, code review, technology overview, introductions to many cool technologies and making your apps rock.
  • Ubuntu projects and Ubuntu in the bigger picture: Ubuntu has grown dramatically and lots of different project make the awesomeness we release every six months. Find out who’s doing what and what’s new.
    Sessions: Ubuntu TV, Edubuntu, juju, the Cloud, Unity and Debian.

Joining in is trivial. Use normal IRC (even a web browser will do) or install Lernid and connect.

We put lots of effort into this great event. 31st January to 2nd February will be a great time and just for you. Bring your friends and your questions.

As this is generally asked very often: yes, we will keep logs of all the session if you shouldn’t be able to attend. We will make them available on the Ubuntu Developer Week page.

More info:

Planet Ubuntu Update

By pleia2 | Published: 2012-01-24

Dear Ubuntu Community,

During UDS-P, it was brought to the attention of the Community Council that blogs being syndicated to Planet Ubuntu included former Ubuntu Member blogs.

In order to update the what Planet Ubuntu aggregates to the public, the Community Council, with the help of Alan Bell, compared the Planet Ubuntu Blog list with the current Ubuntu members list, and removed the blogs belonging to those with lapsed memberships. Current Ubuntu Members whose blogs are syndicated to Planet Ubuntu were then matched with their Launchpad IDs. We also want to remind everyone that the “nick” field of the planet config is for your Launchpad ID.

If you are an Ubuntu Member, and you feel your blog has been removed from Planet Ubuntu in error simply add your blog with the updated information back to Planet Ubuntu.

If your Ubuntu Membership has lapsed accidentally and your blog has been removed from Planet Ubuntu please contact the membership boards (ubuntu-membership-boards@lists.ubuntu.com) to be readded to the Ubuntu Members team and then simply add your blog with the updated.

More information on adding your blog to Planet Ubuntu can be found at: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PlanetUbuntu

If you have questions or concerns please feel free to email the Ubuntu Community Council at: community-council@lists.ubuntu.com

On behalf of the Ubuntu Community Council, Milo Casagrande

Looking for PHP Developers to assist with forums upgrade

By pleia2 | Published: 2012-01-23

The Ubuntu Community is looking for a PHP/OpenID hero to help us in a bit of a bind we have on the forums.

The forums need a branding update, as well as an update to the vbulletin software we are running. Unfortunately Vbulletin doesn’t support openid(!).

Let us please not bring alternates to Vb into the discussion just yet.

In the past there was a bit of custom php that was done in order to enable Ubuntu users to use their Ubuntu Single Sign On account. This doesn’t work with the new version of vbulletin, and this is a blocker to the upgrade.

The Forums Council is thus in search of a volunteer(s) that would be willing to work with the Canonical IS team and the Forums Council to make this happen. Ideally you’d be comfortable with PHP and vbulletin already, and wouldn’t mind a brutal security review from the IS and security teams in Ubuntu, but hey, you’d be the guy that fixed logins on the forums, with all the fame (or infamy) and glory that it entails.

Feel free to PM the Forums Council if you’re interested. The forums have always been a crucial element of Ubuntu’s success, and it’d be a great way to contribute if you’re looking for something to do.

See also: http://castrojo.tumblr.com/post/16165219934/ubuntu-forums-needs-single-sign-on-looking-for-a-php

Originally posted to The Community Cafe on ubuntuforums.org by bodhi.zazen on Mon 23 January

New Forum Council Members

By pleia2 | Published: 2012-01-20

As some of you may have noticed some of the FC members have become less active over the last few months.

As a result we have asked cariboo907, coffeecat, and overdrank to replace the less active members bapoumba, jdong, and Joeb454.

I would like to thank bapoumba, jdong, and Joeb45 for their service and dedication to the forums and this change is in no way personal nor does it reflect poory on their service and dedication.

The change has been for the greater good of the Forums Community as we need an active FC.

Originally posted to The Community Cafe on ubuntuforums.org by s.fox on Fri 20 January