[gentoo-dev] how to become a package maintainer

I am a gentoo user and software developer for a quite a little while.
I found out that I have some spare time and I like to prepare myself to
become a package maintainer.

Are there any links that provide volunteers with the neccessary know how
of how to maintain a project? I have some money to buy a dedicated
machine, preferrably an AMD 64. Projects could be something in C++
combined with networking or PHP/Perl stuff.

Just in case I decide not to volunteer for private reasons these papers
may be beneficial for others, too.


Robert

Am 24.10.2009 um 14:44 schrieb Duncan:

> Robert Welz posted on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:42:48 +0200 as excerpted:
>
>> I am a gentoo user and software developer for a quite a little
>> while. I
>> found out that I have some spare time and I like to prepare myself to
>> become a package maintainer.
>>
>> Are there any links that provide volunteers with the neccessary
>> know how
>> of how to maintain a project? I have some money to buy a dedicated
>> machine, preferrably an AMD 64. Projects could be something in C++
>> combined with networking or PHP/Perl stuff.
>>
>> Just in case I decide not to volunteer for private reasons these
>> papers
>> may be beneficial for others, too.
>
> http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/devrel/handbook/handbook.xml
>
> That's the Gentoo developer handbook, which is a good place to get a
> feel
> for what's involved at that level. Note that there's both the formal
> Gentoo dev political process documented and Gentoo technology
> (ebuilds,
> eclasses, metadata, common mistakes, etc) guides.
>
> Generally, the idea is to start on something small and work with the
> current devs. Once they know you, the rest more or less comes
> naturally
> over time. Know that there are many who ultimately don't make /
> that/ big
> a commitment, but who have time to help with the smaller stuff
> that's the
> first steps toward full developership anyway.
>
> The bug-day Saturdays are a great way to get started. Or choose an
> area
> (Gentoo project) you're interested in, hang out here and/or on the IRC
> dev channel and/or the the individual project lists and/or channels,
> follow the bugs for that project, help comeup with and test patches,
> etc.
>
> Many of the projects have testing overlays where stuff that's not
> ready
> for the main tree is worked on. Java has a big one, as does KDE, both
> with a lot of help from non-(gentoo-)dev project testers, many of
> which
> have commit rights to they project overlays. There's also the
> experimental projects, or projects that started that way, that are
> headed
> toward merging into the Gentoo mainstream now. Gentoo-prefix,
> devoted to
> making it possible to install Gentoo packages in a user's home dir
> or the
> like, on Linux or other platforms, is a big one that's headed toward
> merge at this point.
>
> Another way to start if you have specific applications you are
> interested
> in is with proxy maintainership if a package is in the tree, or the
> Sunrise overlay, for packages not yet in the tree. A proxy maintained
> package has a non-(gentoo-)dev doing much or all of the real work, bug
> fixing, etc, working closely with a full Gentoo dev (or project/herd
> if
> it's herd maintained) doing the final commits to the tree but often
> little else, at least once the relationship has been established. The
> Sunrise overlay is for packages not yet in the tree, but that have
> various Gentoo community users maintaining them. There's a few Gentoo
> devs that work with them, helping them get the packages into full
> Gentoo
> shape, so ultimately, if a dev finds the package useful, they can
> bring
> it into the main Gentoo tree where it may continue to be proxy
> maintained
> by the same community user. Of course, there's more packages than
> devs
> to maintain them, so not all packages ultimately make it into the
> tree,
> but Sunrise is there for them as long as there's someone in the
> community
> interested in doing the maintaining at that level.
>
> The various arch teams have arch-testers (ATs) as well. These guys
> help
> the devs on the arch teams test packages for keyword stabilization,
> etc.
>
> Don't forget the Gentoo Documentation Documentation project as well.
> They could certainly use some help from someone willing to learn the
> way
> Gentoo handles its docs and get their hands dirty helping to maintain
> them. There's always documentation updates that could be done! =:^)
>
> Many, probably most Gentoo devs come in thru one of these paths,
> starting
> out working with a project in an overlay or with a proxy maintained or
> sunrise package, or as an AT. Other quite active users at that
> level are
> content to stay active at that level without ever becoming full Gentoo
> devs for whatever reason (time, politics, whatever). Either way, they
> can rest well, knowing they're filling a vital role in the Gentoo
> community, and thru it, the larger free/libre and open source software
> community.
>
> --
> Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs.
> "Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
> and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman

Thank you very much for the explanation. It is a very very helpful
introduction. I will start work now and when winter is over, lets see if
I have found a project which fits to me and my work experience.

At the moment I work for a Company in Mannheim which does a Linux and C
++
based server which is very intelligent and once configured quite slick.

My own preferences, which started as a hobby during studies to become a
Mathematc/Physics teacher is web server with a centralized email
system but
redundant accounting. LDAP was intergrated after a complete study,
Postgres
is my favourite database. I don't like MySQL (but I don't hate it).

I am medium expert in WxWidgets, becourse I started writing C++ software
after reading a lot about C++, STL. My favourite computersystems are
my MacPro
and my 2 Linux server, one hardend gentoo and one vhost. I think I get
a little
tux@home Mini ITX for development and I am looking forward too see you
again here
once I finished with my training.

regards,
Robert