MOTU get ready: Developers announce 'REVU' Day

By boredandblogging | Published: 2006-09-02

Hot on the footsteps of our recent story of Reinhard Tartler being interviewed (on Behind Ubuntu) about his work on ‘REVU’ and the Masters of the Universe team, we’re delighted to discover REVU Day.

Daniel Holbach announced on the ubuntu-devel mailing list that September 8th will be REVU Day for the edgy development process. REVU is the tool used to vet and check new packages before they are uploaded in the Ubuntu system. We’re told that the idea for the day will be to green-light as many new packages as possible, with Daniel adding “we’ll make an effort to get all the goodness on REVU into Ubuntu”.

During an Ubuntu development cycle, the rate of new features is gradually slowed down as more and more time is spent on bug-fixing and quality checking. One of the last areas to close for new features is the Universe and Multiverse components which between them contain the majority of off-the-beaten-track packages—for example, many games, much multimedia and scientific software.

Universe contains many thousands of programs, all neatly wrapped up and packaged for easy installation using Add/Remove programs or Debian’s famous apt-get tool. Eventually the MOTU will switch to full stabilization and bug-fixing mode for Universe as well, that date is approaching fast. On September 28th automatic “syncing” (copying and importing) of packages from Debian will stop and the procedures documented in UniverseFreeze will take over.

If you are one of the many people with software that you’d like to see in Ubuntu 6.10, or who have software in the REVU system, then be sure to pop along to the #ubuntu-motu IRC channel in one weeks time. Hope to see you there!

If you would like more information about getting involved with the Masters of the Universe team we recommend reading the MOTU Guide, followed by a visit to #ubuntu-motu for questions, drinks, and chit-chat. You’ll get up to speed in no-time at all!

Preview release Edgy Eft Knot-2 ready for testing

By boredandblogging | Published: 2006-09-01

As of just a few hours ago, Edgy Eft Knot-2 has been released for testers. Knot 2 is the second in a series of milestone CD images that will be released throughout the Edgy development cycle, ultimately becoming Ubuntu 6.10.

While this development version (codenamed Edgy Eft) is highly recommended for Ubuntu developers and those who want to participate in testing, reporting, and fixing bugs; anyone not comfortable with helping to debug such issues is advised to wait until later in the release cycle to assist.

Knot 2 is not meant for those people who need, or require, a stable system. Testers may experience occasional, or even frequent breakage.

As well as the feature highlights on our main site, the post to the ubuntu-devel-announce list has all the technical details. There are instructions for downloading images for Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu and Xubuntu from the online mirror network.

If you’re up for the challenge, grab the latest cutting edge preview of your favorite distribution and help to improve Ubuntu today!

News #11: What the Xorg's that about? Developers do Deutschland

By boredandblogging | Published: 2006-08-30

In Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter Issue #11 for the week of 2006 August 20th – 26th, you’ll find:

  • X.org breakage in 6.06
  • Distro sprint in Germany
  • Backports are back
  • Upstart unveiled
  • Security updates
  • Updates to Ubuntu 6.06
  • New apps in Edgy
  • Kubuntu updates
  • In the press
  • Features of the Week: Thunar

The opening section on the Xorg breakage is important to read incase you have a machine that was, or has been, temporarily affected. SABDFL, our Ubuntu leader talks about “taking one on the chin” and the process set in motion to help Ubuntu learn to avoid breakages to the stable release in future.

Also included in the Weekly News is a run down of the Developer Summit in Wiesbaden, Germany, along with plenty of photographs. Be sure to have a look and see who you can spot hiding in the corner!

Keep up with the latest in the community and submit your own stories via the wiki-based editing system.

Behind Ubuntu: Reinhard Tartler

By boredandblogging | Published: 2006-08-30

Reinhard “siretart” Tartler: MOTU member

The folks over at Behind Ubuntu present an interview with Reinhard Tartler (aka siretart) and all round nice person. Reinhard is perhaps best known for his work on REVU (“review”).

REVU is the automated system that universe maintainers (MOTU) use for sanity-checking new packages. Before allowing new software to be uploaded into the real archive, REVU provides an upload facility that behaves in a similar way. REVU emulates an Ubuntu upload, much like an aircraft simulator gives pilots a safe way to test out new maneuvers, in safety.

With a proposed package now inside REVU, individual files making up the package are split out, each file being available for viewing simply by clicking in a web-browser. Along side, a status report about the quality of a proposed package is generated. Debian programs Lintian and Linda are automatically run against the source code; these two checkers are tasked with finding simple syntax errors, or policy issues—such as attempting to store executable files in an incorrect location on the filesystem or hard-disk.

Masters Of The Universe are responsible for reviewing each other suggested updates. Once REVU has assembled all the information in a single location on the system, feedback and comments are given by other MOTUs to improve, or help work-around, any areas of concern that were flagged up in the package. Finally, an option to vote allows new MOTU-produced packages to make it through the door once packages collect two positive votes from other uploaders.

Peer-review, as used throughout Open Source and Free Software, is a great system and makes for the creation of high-quality packaged software. REVU makes that peer-review for Ubuntu even easier. Many thanks to Reinhard for sparing time for his interview!

On your marks, set, Sprint! News from Wiesbaden

By boredandblogging | Published: 2006-08-25

Mark Shuttleworth leading a session on improving the bug-tracker

At the ACHAT hotel in Wiesbaden, central Germany, twenty-three members of the Ubuntu development team have managed to get together for a small, fast-paced development conference known as a ‘sprint’.

The idea behind a sprint is to get as many of the right people in one place at once, for a concentrated week-long session. Time is divided between resolving issues in a face-to-face manner, planning how to manage the direction of future of work and down to earth actual development.

Behind the bug-fixing, a lot of developers are taking the opportunity to hack away on features for the next release of Ubuntu, currently under development with the codename “edgy eft” and due for final release in October 2006.

One of the successful advantages of Ubuntu is the distribution of Ubuntu developers across several countries and timezones around the world. There’s always somebody awake in Ubuntuland!

Because of being spread out, developers and Ubunteros mainly communicate online, via email, IRC chat and other forums. Even talking to the Ubuntu developers electronically every day, it’s often possible to only remember their online nickname—often a strange name, such as ‘keybuk’, ‘doko’, ‘kamion’ or ‘seb128‘—rather than their real names.

If you’ve seen reports, or been luckily enough to attend, one of the main Ubuntu Summits held at the start of each new release cycle, then this is different. The development team, managed by Matt Zimmerman are increasingly working as an tightly knit autonomous unit, concentrating on just getting work on Ubuntu done (to the extent that the unreliable hotel internet connection will allow…).

One of the noticable differences between a main Ubuntu conference and this sprint is that Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth, has only been at the hotel for two days during the whole five-day week.

SABDFL (aka Mark) tends to move around parts of Canonical and the Ubuntu project. There is a focus on getting each team up to speed and then allowing the group to continue to accelerate under its own momentum. However leadership, presence and guidance can be welcome from time to time.

On Wednesday night, the whole team in Wiesbaden stayed up working through an incident late into the night along with members of the Canonical team back in London and Canada. Everyone kept hacking away at their laptops, helping to ensure that after a problem with an update for the 6.06 LTS release, everyone’s machines kept on running!

If you have had problems with your Xorg (video driver) between Monday or Tuesday, be sure to check the notice above.