Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: Training points for users interested in helping out with ebuild development

[Sebastián Ramírez Magrí]

El mar, 05-05-2009 a las 18:28 +0100, George Prowse escribió:
> Thomas Sachau wrote:
> > George Prowse schrieb:
> >> Thomas Sachau wrote:
> >>> For those, who can work with IRC and are interested in working with
> >>> ebuilds, there is already an option:
> >>>
> >>> Join #gentoo-dev-help or even better #gentoo-sunrise and read the
> >>> documentation from the topic. The
> >>> Sunrise Overlay (with the #gentoo-sunrise IRC channel) is open for
> >>> everyone willing to learn and
> >>> contribute to it. Even normal users can get access, learn how to
> >>> create ebuilds, how to improve them
> >>> and how to maintain them.
> >>> As a starting point, this is a central overlay, where ebuilds are
> >>> maintained, that dont get a
> >>> developer as maintainer because of missing manpower. Additionally, all
> >>> contributors learn the ebuild
> >>> development work themselves.
> >>>
> >>> And if you are willing to learn and do continuously good work, there
> >>> is a good chance that you may
> >>> level up to a developer yourself someday. You want an example? This
> >>> was my way to become a full
> >>> Gentoo developer. ;-)
> >>>
> >>> So at least for ebuild maintainence, there are good starting points
> >>> (probably other projects also
> >>> have training grounds like the java or kde herds), the bigger problem
> >>> may be the communication
> >>> between potential new developers and the current developer base and
> >>> our options to become a new
> >>> developer.
> >>>
> >> I think you are missing the point. If you sit and wait for them to join
> >> you will always be understaffed.
> >>
> >> Go on a big dev drive! Announce it all over all the Gentoo's normal
> >> communication channels and other generic linux places! Email some linux
> >> magazines, talk to distrowatch, message some large LUGs. Get people
> >> talking about it. Whatever happens, dont just sit on your hands. Tell
> >> the users that Gentoo needs them and that they can make a difference!
> >>
> >> If you make it a big and special occasion which is planned correctly
> >> with a sufficient number of current developers who are willing to walk
> >> people through how and what it means to be a Gentoo Developer then the
> >> influx could create a new backbone of new developers who will hopefully
> >> be here for years to come.
> >>
> >>
> >
> > Such a campaign would need quite some time and i dont have this free time. So if anyone is willing
> > to do the needed work, i can try to help a bit, but cannot take the work and time myself.
> >
> > The only thing i can do and currently do whenever possible is pointing people to the sunrise project
> > and helping them there. And thats what i did with my mail.
> >
> I also fear that any sustained campaign would be bogged down in Gentoo's
> red tape.
>

I feel it's necessary to clear that it's not mandatory to be a full time
developer to help improve Gentoo. Many users want to help but they don't
feel ready for such a compromise. Then there is Sunrise, and the
overlays from the herds, where the prospective users can learn first and
take the following step when they feel they're ready. I think there are
at least 2 recent new developers who made it this way.

There are several (much?) understaffed projects in Gentoo, the
developers who are responsible of this areas could take some time to
write a guide for users on how to help, with steps to commit patches to
the overlays, wishes and needs... and then publish it in the project web
page.

Also, there could be a page similar to the 'staffing-needs' one, but
listing links to the 'Help Us' pages of the projects.

Just my 2c...

And sorry for any spell/grammar error...