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Full Circle THE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE FOR THE UBUNTU LINUX COMMUNITY UBUNTU DEVELOPMENT SERIES SPECIAL EDITION SINGLE TOPIC SERIES FROM MAGAZINE ISSUES #49 - #52 Full Circle Magazine is neither affiliated, with nor endorsed by, Canonical Ltd. Full Circle Magazine Specials About Full Circle Full Circle is a free, Find Us independent, magazine Website: dedicated to the Ubuntu http://www.fullcirclemagazine.org/ family of Linux operating systems. Each month, it Forums: contains helpful how-to http://ubuntuforums.org/ articles and reader- forumdisplay.php?f=270 submitted stories. Welcome to another 'single-topic special' IRC: #fullcirclemagazine on Full Circle also features a In response to reader requests, we are assembling the chat.freenode.net companion podcast, the Full content of some of our serialised articles into dedicated Editorial Team Circle Podcast which covers editions. the magazine, along with Editor: Ronnie Tucker other news of interest. For now, this is a straight reprint of the series 'Ubuntu (aka: RonnieTucker) Development', Parts 1-4, by Daniel Holbach from issues [email protected] Please note: this Special #49 through #52; nothing fancy, just the facts. Webmaster: Rob Kerfia Edition is provided with (aka: admin / linuxgeekery- Please bear in mind the original publication date; current [email protected] absolutely no warranty versions of hardware and software may differ from those whatsoever; neither the Podcaster: Robin Catling contributors nor Full Circle illustrated, so check your hardware and software versions before attempting to emulate the tutorials in these special (aka RobinCatling) Magazine accept any [email protected] responsibility or liability for editions. You may have later versions of software installed loss or damage resulting from or available in your distributions' repositories. Communications Manager: readers choosing to apply this Robert Clipsham content to theirs or others Enjoy! (aka: mrmonday) - computers and equipment. [email protected] The articles contained in this magazine are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. This means you can adapt, copy, distribute and transmit the articles but only under the following conditions: You must attribute the work to the original author in some way (at least a name, email or URL) and to this magazine by name ('full circle magazine') and the URL www.fullcirclemagazine.org (but not attribute the article(s) in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you must distribute the resulting work under the same, similar or a compatible license. Full Circle Magazine is entirely independent of Canonical, the sponsor of Ubuntu projects and the views and opinions in the magazine should in no way be assumed to have Canonical endorsement. Full Circle Magazine HHOOWW--TTOO Written by Daniel Holbach IInnttrroo TToo UUbbuunnttuu DDeevveellooppmmeenntt buntu is made up of to an archive or mirror. Every day strict freeze dates. With every fixed, and a release candidate thousands of different CD images are built for a selection freeze date that is reached, release is made, and if it does not components, written in of different Ubuntu flavours. developers are expected to make contain any serious problems, it U many different Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu Server, fewer, less-intrusive changes. becomes the final release. programming languages. Every Kubuntu, and others, specify a list Feature Freeze is the first big component - be it a software of required packages that get on freeze date after the first half of Thousands of source packages, library, a tool, or a graphical the CD. These CD images are then the cycle has passed. At this stage, billions of lines of code, and application - is available as a used for installation tests, and features must be largely hundreds of contributors, require source package. Source packages provide the feedback for further implemented. The rest of the cycle a lot of communication and in most cases consist of two parts: release planning. is supposed to be focused on planning to maintain high the actual source code, and fixing bugs. After that, the user standards of quality. At the metadata. Metadata includes the Ubuntu’s development is very interface, then the beginning of each release cycle, dependencies of the package, much dependent on the current documentation, the kernel, etc, we have the Ubuntu Developer copyright and licensing stage of the release cycle. We are frozen, then the beta release is Summit where developers and information, and instructions on release a new version of Ubuntu put out which receives a lot of contributors come together to how to build the package. Once every six months, which is possible testing. From the beta release plan the features of the next this source package is compiled, only because we have established onwards, only critical bugs get releases. Every feature is the build process provides binary packages, which are the .deb files users can install. Every time a new version of an application is released, or when someone makes a change to the source code that goes into Ubuntu, the source package must be uploaded to the build machines to be compiled. The resulting binary packages then are distributed to the archive and its mirrors in different countries. The URLs in /etc/apt/sources.list point full circle magazine #49 17 contents ^ HOWTO - INTRO TO UBUNTU DEVELOPMENT discussed by its stakeholders, and a specification is written that contains detailed information about its assumptions, implementation, the necessary changes in other places, how to test it, and so on. This is all done in an open and transparent fashion, so even if you cannot attend the event in person, you can participate remotely and listen to a streamcast, chat with attendants, and subscribe to changes of specifications - so you are always up to date. collected in that report and its Upstreams get users, bug reports, willingness. Not every single change can be importance, status, and assignee, and patches, from Ubuntu (and discussed in a meeting though, updated when necessary. This other distributions). Getting a change into Ubuntu particularly because Ubuntu relies makes it an effective tool to stay as a new contributor is not as on changes that are done in other on top of bugs in a package or The most important Upstream daunting as it seems, and can be a projects. That is why contributors project, and organise the workload. for Ubuntu is Debian. Debian is the very rewarding experience. It is to Ubuntu constantly stay in touch. distribution that Ubuntu is based not only about learning something Most teams or projects use Most of the software available on, and many of the design new and exciting, but also about dedicated mailing lists to avoid too through Ubuntu is not written by decisions regarding the packaging sharing the solution, and solving a much unrelated noise. For more Ubuntu developers themselves. infrastructure are made there. problem for millions of users out immediate coordination, Most of it is written by developers Traditionally, Debian has always there. developers and contributers use of other Open Source projects, and had dedicated maintainers for Internet Relay Chat (IRC). All then integrated into Ubuntu. every single package or dedicated Open Source Development discussions are open and public. These projects are called maintenance teams. In Ubuntu happens in a distributed world “Upstreams”, because their source there are teams that have an with different goals and different Another important tool code flows into Ubuntu, where we interest in a subset of packages areas of focus. For example, there regarding communication is bug “just” integrate it. The relationship too, and naturally every developer might be the case that a particular reports. Whenever a defect is to Upstreams is critically has a special area of expertise, but Upstream might be interested in found in a package or piece of important to Ubuntu. It is not just participation (and upload rights) working on a new big feature, infrastructure, a bug report is filed code that Ubuntu gets from generally is open to everyone who while Ubuntu, because of the tight in Launchpad. All information is Upstreams, but it is also that demonstrates ability and release schedule, might be full circle magazine #49 18 contents ^ HOWTO - INTRO TO UBUNTU DEVELOPMENT interested in shipping a solid and users, then build the package again,” not being afraid version with just an additional bug to test it. After you have tested it, to read documentation A PLEA ON BEHALF OF THE fix. That is why we make use of you can easily propose the change and ask questions, being “Distributed Development”, where to be included in the current a team player, and PODCAST PARTY code is being worked on in various Ubuntu development release. A enjoying some detective branches that are merged with developer with upload rights will work. As you heard in episode #15 of the each other after code reviews and review it for you, and then get it podcast, we're calling for opinion topics sufficient discussion. integrated into Ubuntu. Good places to ask for that section of the show. your questions are In the example mentioned When trying to find a solution, ubuntu-motu- Instead of us having a rant about above, it would make sense to ship it is usually a good idea to check [email protected] whatever strikes us, why not prompt us Ubuntu with the existing version with Upstream and see if the m and #ubuntu-motu on with a topic and watch for the mushroom of the project, add the bugfix, get problem (or a possible solution) is irc.freenode.net. You will clouds over the horizon! It's highly it into Upstream for their next known already, and, if not, do your easily find a lot of new unlikely that the three of us will agree.