Author: mdke
Date: Thu Aug 17 14:01:33 2006
New Revision: 3219
Modified:
trunk/ubuntu/contribute/C/contribute.xml
Log:
importing from the wiki
Modified: trunk/ubuntu/contribute/C/contribute.xml
==============================================================================
--- trunk/ubuntu/contribute/C/contribute.xml (original)
+++ trunk/ubuntu/contribute/C/contribute.xml Thu Aug 17 14:01:33 2006
@@ -1,413 +1 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.3//EN"
- "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.3/docbookx.dtd"; [
-<!ENTITY % globalent SYSTEM "../../../libs/global.ent">
-%globalent;
-<!ENTITY % cdo-C SYSTEM "../../../libs/cdo-C.ent">
-%cdo-C;
-<!ENTITY % gnome-menus-C SYSTEM "../../../ubuntu/libs/gnome-menus-C.ent">
-%gnome-menus-C;
-<!ENTITY % xinclude SYSTEM "../../../libs/xinclude.mod">
-%xinclude;
-<!ENTITY language "en">
-<!ENTITY ubuntu '<phrase>Ubuntu</phrase>'>
-]>
-<article>
-<articleinfo>
- <title>How to contribute to Ubuntu</title>
- <legalnotice id="Credits-And-License">
- <title>Credits and License</title>
- <para>Maintainers for the Ubuntu Documentation Team:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Jordan Mantha</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Andreas Lloyd</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>Contributors:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>[...]</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>This document is made available under a dual license strategy
that includes the GNU Free
- Documentation License (GFDL) and the Creative Commons ShareAlike
2.0 License (CC-BY-SA).</para>
- <para>You are free to modify, extend, and improve the Ubuntu
documentation source code under the
- terms of these licenses. All derivative works must be released
under either or both of these licenses.</para>
- <para>This documentation is distributed in the hope that it will be
useful, but WITHOUT ANY
- WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
- PURPOSE AS DESCRIBED IN THE DISCLAIMER.</para>
- <para>Copies of these licenses are available in the appendices
section. See also the online versions:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>&fdl-url;</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>&cc-attrib;</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </legalnotice> ©right;
- <authorgroup>
- &author-ubuntu-documentation-project;
- </authorgroup>
- <abstract>
- <para>This section deals with how to get involved and
contribute to the Ubuntu project.</para>
- </abstract>
- &disclaimer;
- &publisher;
- </articleinfo>
- <para>Every Ubuntu user can participate in the Ubuntu
- community. Here are some starting points for people who want to
- help shape the direction that Ubuntu takes.</para>
- <para>You can participate in the Ubuntu community on many
- levels, from simply giving advice to fellow Ubuntu users to
- becoming a maintainer of core packages. We welcome new drive
- and ideas and any contributions to improve Ubuntu and spread
- Free Software. Anyone who has made significant contributions to
- the Ubuntu community can be recognized as an Ubuntu Member,
- giving you the right to vote on defining the goals and vision
- that drive us. The membership process is described in detail
- here.</para>
- <section>
- <title>Advocacy</title>
- <para>The easiest way to give back to the Ubuntu community is
- by telling others about Ubuntu and become an Ubuntu
- advocate:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Join or start a
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams'>Local
- Community Team</ulink> and get involved in Ubuntu advocacy,
- activities, talks, help install Ubuntu on new users'
- computers by organizing or attending install parties and
- provide friendly support in your local community and
- language.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Give a talk at your
- <ulink url='http://lugww.counter.li.org/'>local Linux User
- Group</ulink> or other technical group on Ubuntu! A sample
- of templates, talks and notes given by others in several
- languages are available
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Presentations'>on the
- wiki</ulink>.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Order CDs from
- <ulink url='http://shipit.ubuntu.com/'>Shipit</ulink> and
- distribute them to people as part of larger groups or on
- your own. Drop them off at LUGs, Internet Cafes or anywhere
- that people use computers. Share the love! But don't fire
- and forget, help people to make the most of the Free
- Software world and to become part of the revolution.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>In general, you should show your friends the power of
- Free Software, spread the word and raise general awareness
- around Ubuntu!</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Support</title>
- <para>You can make a major contribution to the Ubuntu project
- by helping others use Ubuntu:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Join an email support list or discussion list on the
- <ulink url='http://lists.ubuntu.com/'>Ubuntu Mailing
- Lists</ulink>. The primary support list is ubuntu-users and
- the primary announcement lists are ubuntu-announce and
- ubuntu-news.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Join the and respond to requests for help
- there.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Join the Ubuntu support and discussion IRC channel:
- #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Ideas and Feedback</title>
- <para>Help steer the direction we take Ubuntu, by describing
- your vision and ideas for a better server and desktop OS and
- application stack.</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Participate in
- <emphasis role='strong'>discussions and
- brainstorming</emphasis> on the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/'>Ubuntu
- Wiki</ulink> where we work on the fastest-moving documents
- before they are ready for publication on the main web
- site.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Add your ideas to the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/IdeaPool'>Idea
- Pool</ulink> for features you'd like to see in Ubuntu,
- products, marketing suggestions or any other ideas you'd
- like to add here.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>Remember, in the open source world, code counts more than
- talk so try to find friends or link up with people who can help
- turn your vision into reality, or start cutting the code
- yourself if that's your line of interest.</para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Documentation</title>
- <para>If you get stumped by a problem, chances are good that
- many other people will be frustrated by it as well. If you are
- not in a position to write code to change the situation -- for
- whatever reason -- you can help everyone else out by writing up
- your experience and documenting the solution! Some of the most
- constructive ways to get involved in the Ubuntu documentation
- community might be:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Take notes as you puzzle through a problem and then
- document the solution. Check to see if documentation
- already exists first. If it does, augment or improve
- existing documentation. If it doesn't go ahead and add a
- page in the wiki. Rather than answer a question two or more
- times, write up the answer and make it available to
- everyone in the wiki.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Read through the HOWTOs and other documentation in
- the
- <ulink url='http://www.ubuntuforums.org/'>Ubuntu
- forums</ulink>, read them over and check them for accuracy,
- and put them in the wiki. Read the
- <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WikiGuide'>Wiki
- Guide</ulink> for help with this.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>If you are interested in working on the official
- Ubuntu documentation, you can join the Ubuntu Documentation
- Team. Information on getting started with the Documentation
- Team is online at the Documentation team
- <ulink url='http://doc.ubuntu.com'>website</ulink></para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Help clean, proof read, and test the instructions in
- the community wiki. You can help get an idea of useful
- tasks in the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/WikiToDo'>
- WikiToDo</ulink> for more information.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Artwork</title>
- <para>If you are more artistic than literary, you can express
- that talent and improve the style and feel of the Ubuntu
- desktop by contributing artwork and helping design the next
- release of Ubuntu.</para>
- <para>If you have skills with wallpapers, Inkscape, icons and
- themes you should contribute to the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/ArtTeam'>Art team</ulink> who
- on icons, themes. You can communicate with the team by joining
- <ulink url='http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art'>
- ubuntu-art</ulink> mailing list.</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>You can create and share Ubuntu backgrounds and other
- artwork. You can upload these to any of the following
- places:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/CommunityArtwork'>
- The Ubuntu Community Artwork wiki page</ulink>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>
- <ulink url='http://www.ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=16'>
- The Ubuntu "Art Talk" section of the Ubuntu
- forums</ulink>
- </para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>If your artwork is GNOME based:
- <ulink url='http://art.gnome.org/'>The GNOME Art
- Center</ulink></para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>If your artwork is designed for Kubuntu:
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/KubuntuArtwork'>The
- Kubuntu Artwork Page</ulink></para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Translation and Localisation</title>
- <para>If your home language is not English but you happen to
- have really good English skills and are comfortable using
- software in English, you can make a huge contribution by
- helping to translate the Ubuntu applications into your home
- language. Even if you just translate a few lines you may make
- all the difference to someone in your own country who is just
- starting to learn about computers and Free Software.</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Translate applications that are included in Ubuntu
- into your language using the web-based
- <ulink url='https://launchpad.net/rosetta'>Rosetta
- translation system</ulink>.</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Join the
- <ulink
url='http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-translators'>
- Ubuntu-Translators</ulink> mailing list to stay in touch
- with other Ubuntu translators.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Translate documents written by the documentation
- team. This can also be done using
- <ulink url='https://launchpad.net/products/ubuntu-doc'>
- Rosetta</ulink>.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Translate popular wiki pages within the wiki.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>In order to handle translation, fonts, and other
- issues, you should connect with your
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams'>Local
- Community Team</ulink>.
- <ulink url='http://docbook.wikiwikiweb.de/LoCo'>
- LoCo</ulink> teams often handle this sort of issue.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Quality Assurance and Bugs</title>
- <para>Ubuntu, like any piece of software, needs good testers.
- You can contribute to Ubuntu simply by running the latest
- version and reporting bugs and helping follow those bugs until
- they are fixed.</para>
- <para>The first steps in getting involved in Ubuntu QA and
- bug-tracking include:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>Running the latest development version of Ubuntu, and
- upgrading regularly.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Subscribing to the
- <ulink url='http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>
- ubuntu-devel</ulink> mailing list online and watching it.
- Many developers post testing and experimental packages to
- mailing list. Testing CDs are often very under-tested. You
- can make an important contribution by following the mailing
- list and reporting bugs and issues that you run
- into.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>Of course, you will run into problems when you run these
- testing and development version of Ubuntu. Using the software
- alone is not a contribution; only when you report the bugs that
- you encounter do you make a meaningful contribution to the
- Ubuntu community.</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>When you find bugs, you should report bugs into the
- <ulink url='https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bugs'>
- Ubuntu Malone</ulink>. You can make sure your bugs are more
- useful by carefully reading GNOME projects
- <ulink url='http://bugzilla.gnome.org/bug-HOWTO.html'>bug
- HOWTO</ulink>.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Look through bugs, especially new bugs, to "triage"
- them and to find, confirm, and close duplicates. This can
- also involve verifying and reproducing bugs adding
- information to the bug description.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Finally, you can make a huge impact by following up
- on bugs in packages that you care about and by fixing
- them!</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- <para>See the documentation on our wiki about
- <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugReports'>bug
- reporting</ulink>.</para>
- </section>
- <section>
- <title>Programming and Packaging</title>
- <para>The final way to make an impact in Ubuntu is by getting
- your hands on the code. You can make technical contributions to
- Ubuntu by writing new software, by packaging additional
- software, and by fixing bugs in software. If you're interested
- in hacking on Ubuntu:</para>
- <itemizedlist>
- <listitem>
- <para>The first step is to join and begin reading the
- <ulink url='http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>
- ubuntu-devel</ulink> mailing list. This is a requirement for
- anyone who contributes to Ubuntu as a maintainer.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>If you are relatively inexperienced with maintaining
- distribution packages, then you should seek out the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU'>Masters of the
- Universe</ulink>. The MOTU maintain the packages in
- universe, which has less strict requirements than the core
- Ubuntu components. They also mentor new maintainers on the
- policies and processes of Ubuntu. You can look over the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTUTodo'>MOTU ToDo
- list</ulink> to see which projects need help.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Once you have gained experience with packaging tasks
- (for example, by playing an active role in the MOTU team),
- you will be able to move from a universe-only maintainer to
- an Ubuntu main distribution maintainer, following
- <ulink
url='http://docbook.wikiwikiweb.de/community/processes/newmember'>
- this process</ulink>.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Look through the list of
- <ulink url='https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+specs'>
- Ubuntu specifications</ulink>. You can pick one of these
- and there should be enough information to begin with an
- implementation.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>If you are interested in KDE, you may be interested
- in helping with the Kubuntu subproject. There is a list of
- ways to do this on the
- <ulink url='http://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpingKubuntu'>Helping
- Kubuntu wiki page</ulink>.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>There are some software projects for Ubuntu that are
- available as paid bounties. You can look through the
- <ulink url='http://docbook.wikiwikiweb.de/community/bounties'>
- list of bounties</ulink> and then submit a proposal and
- references.</para>
- </listitem>
- <listitem>
- <para>Write and package brand new software for Ubuntu. We
- can get new software into the Ubuntu Universe so that
- people can try it out and give you feedback, and in time it
- may become part of the Ubuntu Main portfolio of
- applications that are available to all Ubuntu users by
- default.</para>
- </listitem>
- </itemizedlist>
- </section>
-</article>
+<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD
DocBook XML V4.4//EN"
"http://www.docbook.org/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd";><article><title>MatthewEast/ContributeToUbuntu</title><section><title>Introduction</title><para>Ubuntu
is most of all a community. All of the software, artwork and documentation in
Ubuntu has been created, tested, used and discussed openly by people around the
world participating in the Open Source community made possible by the Internet.
Anyone who uses Ubuntu is part of this global community, and we invite you to
help shape Ubuntu to better meet your needs. To make it yours!
</para><para>Anyone can help shape and improve Ubuntu. This document will
introduce you to the most common ways of that you can contribute to Ubuntu: by
using Ubuntu in your everyday life and recommending it to others, by helping
other users, by translating programs or d
ocuments to your native language, by testing the software and reporting
issues, by creating artwork or writing documentation, by fixing software
issues, writing new software or keeping others' software up to date. Many of
these tasks do not require special technical skills - in the Ubuntu community,
you don't have to be a programmer to get involved! </para><para>No matter how
you want to contribute, we will welcome new drive and ideas and any
contributions to improve Ubuntu and spread Open Source to the world.
</para></section><section><title>Spreading the Word</title><para>The easiest
way to give back to the Ubuntu community is by sharing Ubuntu with others:
Recommend Ubuntu to others, show them how to download and install Ubuntu and
the possibilities and qualities of Open Source Software. As the Ubuntu
community grows, so does its influence and the more accepted and supported
Ubuntu
will become! You can spread the word by:
</para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Ordering CDs from Shipit and give them to
people who might be interested. Drop them off at libraries, Internet Cafes,
schools, computer shops or anywhere else where people use computers. Be sure to
help people to use and understand Ubuntu if they become interested.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Give a talk at your local school, Linux User
Group or library on Ubuntu! There are lots of notes from other Ubuntu talks
given by others in several languages are available on the wiki.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Write a short account of how and why you use
Ubuntu by following these guidelines and send it to <ulink
url='mailto:mystory@xxxxxxxxxx'>mystory@xxxxxxxxxx</ulink>. Your story can then
be used to show others how Ubuntu can be used!
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join or start a Local Community Te
am - if you like Ubuntu, it is likely that others around you like it as well!
See the "Going Local!" section for details.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><section><title>Marketing</title><para>If you
want to help promoting and marketing Ubuntu in a more general and coordinated
effort, you can join the Ubuntu Marketing Team which coordinates a number
projects including the Fridge, the community-driven news hub for all things
Ubuntu, and the Ubuntu Weekly News - a weekly update on Ubuntu development.
</para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MarketingTeam'>MarketingTeam</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing'>ubuntu-marketing
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the
#ubuntu-marketing IRC cha
nnel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Ubuntu
Women</title><para>If you are woman wanting to get involved in the Ubuntu
community, or if you're man interested in increasing the diversity of the
Ubuntu community, you can join the Ubuntu-Women team which focuses on:
</para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Encouraging women to use Ubuntu and
especially to participate in the Ubuntu community.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Mentoring women in specific areas (such as
technical, documentation, translation and communication) so they have the
information and support to get involved.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Openly discussing issues facing women and
their involvement in Ubuntu (and Linux) and how to address them.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink url='http://w
ww.ubuntu-women.org/'>Ubuntu Women website</ulink>
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-women'>ubuntu-women</ulink>
mailing list. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-women IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section></section><section><title>Going
Local!</title><para>Chances are that you are not the only person in your city,
region or country who is using Ubuntu. You can help to make Ubuntu better for
people in your area by helping out local Ubuntu users or translating the Ubuntu
software and documentation to your local language. </para><section><title>LoCo
teams</title><para>if you want to meet other Ubuntu users in your area, you
should look for a Local Ubuntu Community team (Lo<emphasis role='strong'/>Co
team for short) to join. There are Lo<emphasis role='strong'/>Co tea
ms spread out all over the world, and you can find a list of all of them
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList'>here</ulink>. If there isn't
a Lo<emphasis role='strong'/>Co team near you, you can start a new one! Just
follow the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamHowto'>instructions</ulink> on the wiki.
</para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeams'>LoCoTeams</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join your local Lo</para><emphasis
role='strong'>Co Team mailing list and IRC channel (details can be found on the
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList'>LoCoTeam List</ulink> wiki
page)
</emphasis></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Translation</title><para>If
your home language is not English but you happen to have really good
English skills and are comfortable using software in English, you help to
translate the Ubuntu applications and documentation into your native language.
To help out you can: </para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Use the web-based
<ulink url='https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+translations'>Rosetta
translation system</ulink> makes it easy to translate Ubuntu applications into
your language. Even if you just translate a few lines you may make all the
difference to someone in your own country who is just starting to learn about
computers and Free Software. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Translate
popular wiki pages within the Documentation Wiki.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Test that your local language fonts and
display works correctly. If they don't, file bug reports on the issues.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join your loc
al Lo<emphasis role='strong'/>o Team mailing list and IRC channel (details can
be found on the <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList'>LoCoTeam
List</ulink> wiki page) to get in touch with other users in your region so you
can coordinate your translation efforts. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join
the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-translators'>Ubuntu-Translators
mailing list</ulink> to stay in touch with other Ubuntu translators.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section></section><section><title>Helping
others with Ubuntu</title><para>You can make a major contribution to the Ubuntu
project by helping others use Ubuntu. There are four main community support
channels where you can help out other Ubuntu users by answering questions and
referring them to relevant documentation:
</para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join the <ulink url='https://
lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users'>Ubuntu support mailing
list</ulink>. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the Ubuntu support and
discussion IRC channel: #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='http://www.ubuntuforums.org/'>Ubuntu Forums</ulink>.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Check the <ulink
url='https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+tickets'>Launchpad Support
Tracker</ulink> for support requests for Ubuntu that you can help out with.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para><emphasis role='strong'>NB:''' If you
prefer to help other Ubuntu users in another language than English, please
refer to the <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList'>LoCoTeam
list</ulink> for info on local language support options where you can help out.
</emphasis></para><section><title>Helping others with Kubuntu, Edubuntu or
Xubuntu</title
><para>If you want to help users specifically with issues concerning a
>derivative version of Ubuntu, each of these have their own support IRC
>channels on freenode, as well as their own mailing lists. The Ubuntu
>derivatives are also supported on the <ulink
>url='http://www.ubuntuforums.org/'>Ubuntu Forums</ulink>.
></para><para/>Kubuntu<emphasis role='strong'>
><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
>url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-users'>Kubuntu support
>mailing list</ulink>. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the Kubuntu
>support and discussion IRC channel: #kubuntu on irc.freenode.net
></para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Edubuntu<emphasis role='strong'>
><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
>url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users'>Edubuntu
>support mailing list</ulink>. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the
>Edbuntu supp
ort and discussion IRC channel: #edubuntu on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Xubuntu<emphasis role='strong'>
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join the Ubuntu support and discussion IRC
channel: #xubuntu on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></section><section><title>New
User Network</title><para>If you want to help others who are learning how to
use Ubuntu, you can join the New User Network - a group of community supporters
who spend 10 or so hours a week helping new users. </para><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/NewUserNetwork'>NewUserNetwork</ulink> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-nun IRC channel on
irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Usability</title><para>If
you want to improve the <em
phasis>usability</emphasis> of Ubuntu, you can try out one of the Ubuntu
usability tests on your friends, and record their reactions and impressions of
Ubuntu. You can then report these impressions to the Ubuntu Desktop team.
</para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UsabilityTesting'>UsabilityTesting</ulink> wiki
page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop'>ubuntu-desktop
mailing list</ulink>
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Accessibility</title><para>If
you are interested in making Ubuntu and its derivatives usable by as many
people as possible across ages, language and physical abilities, you can help
the Ubuntu Accessibility Team with improving the accessibility support on the
Ubuntu pl
atform and the software that runs on it. </para><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Accessibility/Team'>Accessibility Team</ulink>
wiki page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-accessibility'>ubuntu-accessibility
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the
#ubuntu-accessibility IRC channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Participate on the <ulink
url='http://www.ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=145'>Accessibility section
of the Ubuntu Forums</ulink>
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section></section><section><title>Writing
Documentation</title><para>If you get stumped by a problem with Ubuntu, chances
are good that many other people will be frustrated by it as well. If you are
not currently able to write code to fix
the problem, you can help everyone else out by writing up your experience and
documenting the solution! All documentation and help pages in Ubuntu are
written by volunteer community members gathered in the Ubuntu Documentation
Team, and you can help out in a number of ways:
</para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Check the existing documentation to see if
it covers your problem. If it does, you can add to it, edit it or remove errors
(such as typos, grammar and spelling, and technical errors), send any
suggestions and changes to the Documentation Team mailing list.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>If no relevant documentation exists, you can
add a page in the Documentation Wiki which is a separate community wiki for
editing and writing documentation. Rather than answer a question two or more
times, write up the answer and make it available to everyone in the wiki.
</para></listitem><lis
titem><para>Read through the HOWTOs and other documentation in the Ubuntu
Forums and check them for accuracy, and put them in the Documentation Wiki.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join one of the Documentation Team projects
and work on directly on maintaining and developing one of the guides for Ubuntu
or one of its derivatives. A new version of these guides are released with each
new release of Ubuntu, and these are translated through the translation tool
Rosetta in the same manner as all other applications in Ubuntu.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DocumentationTeam'>Documentation Team</ulink> wiki
page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-doc'>Documentation team
mailing list</ulink> </para></listi
tem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-doc IRC channel on irc.freenode.net.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para><section><title>Wiki</title><para>You
can spell check, edit or write the pages of the Ubuntu wiki. The better and
more accessible the information in the wiki is, the easier it will be for
people to use. You can find a list of pages in need of editing on the <ulink
url='https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WikiToDo'>Wiki To Do</ulink> page. The
Wiki is maintained by the Wiki Team - a group of active wiki contributors that
edit and clean up the main Ubuntu wiki according to community-maintained <ulink
url='https://help.ubuntu.com/community/WikiGuide'>Wiki Guidelines</ulink>.
</para><para/>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/WikiTeam'>Wiki Team</ulink> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink url='h
ttps://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-doc'>Documentation team
mailing list</ulink> and the #ubuntu-doc IRC channel on irc.freenode.net - both
of which are also used for Wiki Team discussion.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section></section><section><title>Creating
Artwork</title><para>If you have artistic talent, you can help improve the
style and feel of the Ubuntu desktop by contributing to the artwork and design
of the next release of Ubuntu. All of the splash screens, icons, wallpapers and
sounds of Ubuntu are designed, discussed and approved by the Ubuntu Artwork
team, and you can help out by examining the current approved Ubuntu artwork
projects at <ulink url='https://launchpad.net/people/ubuntu-art/+specs'/> and
create something that will fit with what is being planned with the next release
of Ubuntu. </para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><
listitem><para>Read the <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork'>Art
Team</ulink> wiki page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-art'>Ubuntu-art mailing
list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-artwork IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Testing
and Bug squashing</title><para>Ubuntu, like any other software, needs good
testers. You can contribute to Ubuntu simply by running the latest version and
reporting software issues - we call them bugs - and helping to manage those
bugs until they are fixed. </para><section><title>Software
Testing</title><para>All software-specific bugs is the domain of the Ubuntu
Bugsquad which is the Quality Assurance (QA) team for Ubuntu. Getting involved
with the Bugsquad is easy: </para><itemi
zedlist><listitem><para>Join the Ubuntu devel-announce mailing list to get all
of the announcements of when a new development version of Ubuntu is released.
The development version of Ubuntu is the one that the developers are currently
working on, so they're usually quite unstable and full of bugs.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Download and install the latest development
version of Ubuntu, and upgrade it regularly. You can download the Ubuntu
development version here. Do not use a development release as your main
operating system, if you feel comfortable using an operating system that may
break with a new upgrade. </para></listitem><listitem><para>You will run into
problems when you run a development version of Ubuntu, when you do you should
report those problems as bugs in the Ubuntu bug tracker. Unless you let the
developers know of the bugs you encounter, they won't be able to f
ix them as they need information on under which circumstances these bugs
occur. </para></listitem><listitem><para>When you find a bug, you should
report bugs into the Ubuntu Bug tracker. You should check that the bug hasn't
already been reported by searching for it. If you find the bug already
reported, you can add a comment of your own about it, or change its status to
"Confirmed". If the bug hasn't been reported, you can file a new bug report.
Read the <ulink
url='http://docbook.wikiwikiweb.de/HelpingWithBugs'>HelpingWithBugs</ulink>
wiki page to learn more about what information the developers will need to fix
the bug. </para></listitem><listitem><para>You can make a huge impact by fixing
bugs yourself, and thus improve Ubuntu!
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad'>BuqSquad</ulink> wi
ki page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-bugs IRC channel on
irc.freenode.net </para></listitem><listitem><para>Check the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/devel-announce'>devel-announce
mailing list</ulink> for announcements of Bug days which are special occasions
where the Bug Squad mount special efforts to teach new contributors how to
find, reproduce, confirm and close bugs.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Hardware
Testing</title><para>All hardware-specific bugs - ie. bugs that only appear
when certain hardware or certain combinations of hardware - belong to the the
Ubuntu Testing Teams. With each new Ubuntu development release, it is necessary
to test whether all of the Ubuntu system and associated applications still work
with all kinds of hardware and peripherals. You can help by testing Ubuntu on
your own hardwar
e. </para><section><title>General Testing</title><itemizedlist><listitem
override='none'><para>The Ubuntu Testing Teams have made a list of things they
need to test on every new development release. Run through the list and test
each part as they apply to your setup. Note any failures and fill out a report
and send it to the Ubuntu-devel mailing list.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing'>Testing</ulink> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/devel'>devel mailing
list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-devel IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Laptop
Testing</title><para>If you have a laptop, you can join
the Ubuntu Laptop Testing Team for laptop-specific testing.
</para><para/>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaptopTesting'/> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-laptop'>ubuntu-laptop
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-laptop
IRC channel on irc.freenode.net.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Server
Testing</title><para>If you run a server, you can join the Ubuntu Server
Testing Team for server-specific testing. </para><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ServerTesting'/> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel
mailing list</u
link> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-server IRC channel on
irc.freenode.net.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>PDA
Testing</title><para>If you have a PDA you would like to use with Ubuntu, you
can join the Ubuntu PDA Testing Team for specific testing to improve the Ubuntu
PDA support. </para><para/>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PDATesters'>PDA Testers</ulink> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-devel
IRC channel on irc.freenode.net.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para><emphasis role='strong'>NB:''' Please
note that none of these channels are support channels per-se, please use
#ubuntu for that! </e
mphasis></para></section></section></section><section><title>Maintaining
Ubuntu</title><para>If you want to improve the software in Ubuntu, you can help
by preparing - we call it packaging - Open Source software for use in Ubuntu
and by fixing bugs in the software already included with Ubuntu.
</para><para>Ubuntu is constantly evolving and improving as the Open Source
software it contains continues to be developed. Though many of these
improvements are made by Ubuntu developers, most of the improvements are done
by developers elsewhere in the Open Source world - these developers is what we
call the <emphasis>Upstream</emphasis> for Ubuntu as these improvements flow
<emphasis>downstream</emphasis> to Ubuntu. </para><para>Most of the Ubuntu
development work consists of taking these improvements and integrating them in
Ubuntu while ensuring that they do not break any other part of the sy
stem. All software in Ubuntu is arranged in software packages called .deb
files. Most of these packages are taken from the Debian distribution and merged
and stabilized for use with Ubuntu, though others are prepared directly from
the upstream source code. </para><para>These software packages are sorted into
two repositories: </para>Main<emphasis role='strong'> which contains the core
components of Ubuntu maintained by the core Ubuntu developers, and
</emphasis>Universe<emphasis role='strong'> which contains all the other
software from the Open Source world. Unless you're already a proficient
contributor to one of the core components in Ubuntu, you should begin with the
Universe Repository. </emphasis><section><title>Contributing to the Universe
Repository (MOTU)</title><para>If you know of a cool application, feature or
change available else in the Open Source world that you would li
ke to have in Ubuntu, you can add it yourself by packaging it for Ubuntu.
</para><para>All of the non-core packages in Ubuntu are in the Universe
repository, and are maintained by the Ubuntu developers who humorously call
themselves Masters of the Universe - or MOTUs for short. </para><para>If you
want to get involved with packaging, you can help out the MOTUs as a MOTU
hopeful. The MOTUs are community members who have been granted upload rights to
the Universe repository by the Technical Board, whereas MOTU Hopefuls are
community members (like you) helping out, gathering experience and who one day
may gain upload rights themselves. </para><para>To get started as a MOTU
hopeful you can: </para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Get in touch with a
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/Mentors'>MOTU Mentor</ulink> who will
help you with the basics. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Read
the <ulink
url='http://doc.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/packagingguide/C/index.html'>Packaging
Guide</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/School'>MOTU school lessons</ulink> that
address relevant issues about package maintenance.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Look over the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/Tasks'>MOTU Tasks list</ulink> to see which
projects need help. </para></listitem></itemizedlist><para>Once you have gained
experience with packaging tasks (for example, by playing an active role in the
MOTU team), you will be able to move from a universe-only maintainer to an
Ubuntu core developer by . </para><para/>NB:''' The MOTUs also maintain the
packages for K|Ed|X|ubuntu and the other Ubuntu derivatives, so you if you want
to contribute to one of these specifically, you will need to get involved with
the MOTUs. <para><emph
asis role='strong'>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU'>MOTU</ulink> wiki page
</para></listitem><listitem><para>join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-motu'>ubuntu-motu</ulink>,
<ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel</ulink>the
ubuntu-devel and the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce'>ubuntu-devel-announce</ulink>
mailing lists.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Contributing
to the Main Repository</title><para>The core components of Ubuntu are
maintained by number of specialized teams with their own area of
responsibility. If you have a special interest in helping out in one of these
areas, you can involved with that specific team. </para><para>No matter what
kind of contribut
ion you would like to make to the core components of Ubuntu, we recommend
that you join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel</ulink>
and <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce'>ubuntu-devel-announce</ulink>
mailing lists. All information about technical development passes through
those channels. You should also familiarize yourself with the details of the
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DeveloperResources'>Developer
Resources</ulink> wiki page. </para><section><title>Desktop
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested in the Ubuntu GNOME Desktop,
you can get involved with the Desktop Team which works to bring the latest cool
GNOME desktop stuff to Ubuntu. </para><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopTeam'>Desktop Team</ulink> wi
ki page. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop'>ubuntu-desktop
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-desktop
IRC channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Kubuntu
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested in the Kubuntu KDE Desktop,
you can get involved with the Kubuntu Team which works to bring the latest cool
KDE desktop stuff to Kubuntu. </para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpingKubuntu'>Helping Kubuntu</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-devel'>kubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #kubuntu-devel
IRC channel
on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Edubuntu
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested in the Edubuntu Desktop,
you can get involved with the Edubuntu Team which works to bring the latest
educational software into classrooms all over the world.
</para><para/>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Edubuntu'>Edubuntu</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-devel'>kubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #edubuntu IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Xubuntu
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested in the Xubuntu XCFE Desktop,
you can get involved with the Xubuntu Team which works to brin
g the latest cool XCFE desktop stuff to Xubuntu. </para><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Xubuntu'>Xubuntu</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-devel'>kubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #xubuntu IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Server
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested in the Ubuntu Server, you
can get involved with the Server Team which works to bring the latest system
administration tools and server applications to Ubuntu.
</para><para/>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ServerTeam'>Server Team</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><
listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-server'>ubuntu-server
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-server
IRC channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Laptop
Team</title><para>If you are especially interested improving the Ubuntu laptop
experience, you can get involved with the Laptop Team which works to improve
support for ever growing varieties of laptop hardware. </para><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Contact:''' <itemizedlist><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/laptop-devel'>laptop-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-laptop
IRC channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section><section><title>Kernel
Team</title><para>If you are interested
in hacking on the Linux kernel specifically for Ubuntu, you can get involved
with the Kernel Team. </para><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeam'>Kernel Team</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kernel-team'>kernel-team mailing
list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-kernel IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>X Swat
Team</title><para>If you want to get involved with the Ubuntu version of X.org,
a good place to start would be the X Swat Team which maintains X.org in Ubuntu.
</para><para><emphasis role='strong'>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/XSwat'>XSwat Team</ulink> wiki page.
</para></listitem><listitem><par
a>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-x IRC
channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></emphasis></para></section></section></section><section><title>Writing
Code</title><para>If you want to program brand-new features specifically for
Ubuntu or redesign and develop current ones, there are several ways to get you
started: </para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Look through the list of Ubuntu
specifications on Launchpad. Pick one that interests you, and hopefully there
should be enough information to begin with an implementation.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Look through the list of paid bounty projects
that are registered for Ubuntu in Launchpad. Pick one that interests you and
submit a proposal and references. </para></listitem><listitem><p
ara>Write and package brand new software for Ubuntu. Contact the MOTUs to get
new software into the Ubuntu Universe so that people can try it out and give
you feedback. In time it may become part of the Ubuntu Main portfolio of
applications that are available to all Ubuntu users by default.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para/>Contact:'''
<itemizedlist><listitem><para>Read the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DeveloperResources'>Developer Resources</ulink>
wiki page </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel
mailing list</ulink> </para></listitem><listitem><para>Join the #ubuntu-devel
IRC Channel on irc.freenode.net
</para></listitem></itemizedlist></section><section><title>Giving Ideas and
Feedback</title><para>If you have ideas and suggestions on new features and
improvements that you would like to
see and help bring to Ubuntu, you can:
</para><itemizedlist><listitem><para>Add your ideas to the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IdeaPool'>Idea Pool</ulink> for features you'd
like to see in Ubuntu, products, marketing suggestions or any other ideas you'd
like to add here. Before each new release cycle is initiated, the developers go
through the Idea Pool and bring up any ideas that they like.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Write a specification - a short description
what feature or improvement you would like to implement and why and how it
should be implemented. All specifications for Ubuntu are tracked in Blueprint,
the Specification tracking part of the Launchpad system. Writing a good
specification is an art the finer points of which is discussed <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SpecSpec'>here</ulink>.
</para></listitem><listitem><para>Once you have written your specifi
cation, you will need to get it approved for inclusion in Ubuntu by the Ubuntu
core developers. Specifications are approved at the Ubuntu Developers' Summit
which take place at the beginning of each new development cycle. You will need
to add your specification to the Summit listing in Launchpad and show up at the
summmit and present your specification, lead discussion and submit it for
approval. If you can't make it to the summit in person, you can either have
another community member present it for you, or try to present through on-line
chat or VOIP. </para></listitem><listitem><para>Another way to get your feature
into Ubuntu is by packaging it for the Universe repositories and thus making it
available to other Ubuntu users. This will make it possible for others to try
it out before committing to having it as a standard feature of Ubuntu.
</para></listitem></itemizedlist><para><emph
asis role='strong'>Remember that in the open source world, work counts more
than talk so try to find friends or link up with people who can help turn your
vision into reality.</emphasis> </para></section><section><title>Ubuntu
Membership</title><para>Anyone who has made significant contributions to the
Ubuntu community can be recognized as an Ubuntu Member by applying for
membership to the Community Council. Ubuntu Members play an essential role in
Ubuntu governance as they may be called upon to vote on resolutions put to the
members by the Community Council and generally confirm its decisions. You also
need to become an Ubuntu Member in order to become an Ubuntu Developer or MOTU.
</para><para>As a Member you will get an email address @ubuntu.com and the
right to carry Ubuntu business cards too (We'll supply the artwork, you print
your own cards) Learn more about becoming an Ubuntu M
ember <ulink
url='http://www.ubuntu.com/community/processes/newmember'>here</ulink>.
</para></section><section><title>Participating in an Open Source
Community</title><para>If you have little experience participating in or
contributing to an Open Source community such as Ubuntu, it is easy to feel
slightly intimidated by the many different channels of communication and
specialized tools that the community members utilize to have discussions and
share their work. </para><para>Below we will give you a short introduction to
all of these, as well as some pointers to which ones might be of interest to
you at first. </para><section><title>Community Communication</title><para>Like
most online communities, Ubuntu exists through textual communication. You can
find all the news, discussions, help, brainstorming and general silliness of
the Ubuntu community in text in various forms. </para><secti
on><title>General Communication</title><para>There are a few central channels
of communication that will make it easy for anyone interested to keep up with
the happenings in the Ubuntu community. </para><para>The <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce'>ubuntu-announce
mailing list</ulink> : All official release and community announcements are
published on this low-traffic mailing list. All users of Ubuntu would do well
to subscribe to keep up-to-date with general happenings in the community.
</para><para>The <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-news'>ubuntu-news mailing
list</ulink> : Every week, community members of the marketing team publish a
new edition of the Ubuntu Weekly News (UWN). This contains the latest news on
the Ubuntu community and is an easy way to keep up-to-date with the latest in
the Ubuntu Community. </para><par
a>The <ulink url='http://fridge.ubuntu.com/'>Fridge</ulink> is the community
news web site. It links to the latest news items, articles and community
projects on Ubuntu. It also links to each issue of the Ubuntu Weekly News, and
contains a calendar of upcoming Ubuntu events. </para><para><ulink
url='http://planet.ubuntulinux.org/'>Planet Ubuntu</ulink>: In the open source
world, a Planet is a collection of blog posts which is gathered and published
together into a single combined feed, latest news first. Planet Ubuntu
aggregates the blog posts of Ubuntu developers and contributors and provides a
window into their work and lives. It is a fascinating way to learn more about
how Ubuntu is developed. </para></section><section><title>The Mailing
Lists</title><para>Almost all of the more formalized development and team
coordination about the shape and direction of Ubuntu takes place on the
Ubuntu mailing lists. All lists have archives so that you can easily read up
on old discussions. These are available from the each list's individual
information page which are linked below. </para><para>You can read an <ulink
url='http://www.gnu.org/software/mailman/mailman-member/node5.html'>introduction
to mailing lists</ulink> if you have little experience with such.
</para><para>When posting to the mailing lists, please observe the <ulink
url='http://www.ubuntu.com/community/lists/etiquette'>mailing list
etiquette</ulink>. </para><para><emphasis role='strong'>NB:''' This is not an
exhaustive list of Ubuntu mailing lists - see <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/'>this list</ulink> for all the
mailing lists of the Ubuntu community. <para/>Announcements and news<emphasis
role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec
colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1
'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> List </para></entry><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Description </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-announce'>ubuntu-announce</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> All official release and
community announcements are posted on this low-traffic mailing list.
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-announce'>ubuntu-devel-announce</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> All developer-related
announcements and information - including announcements of new development
releases and development team meetings </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubu
ntu-security-announce'>ubuntu-security-announce</ulink> </para></entry><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Announcements of security updates to Ubuntu
releases. If you are an administrator for multiple machines it is strongly
recommended that you subscribe to this list to be notified of critical updates
that may affect your system security. </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-news'>ubuntu-news</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Weekly news bulletins on the
Ubuntu community for both users and developers
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para/>Support<emphasis
role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec
colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/
edubuntu-users'>ubuntu-users</ulink> </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu Help and User Discussions - </para>high
traffic!<emphasis role='strong'> </emphasis></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users'>kubuntu-users</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Kubuntu Help and User
Discussions </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
<ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users'>edubuntu-users</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Edubuntu Users Help and
Discussion </para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para/>Ubuntu
Development<emphasis role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec
colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink url
='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel'>ubuntu-devel</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu Developer Discussion
mailing list is for highly-technical discussions and implementation details
regarding current development on Ubuntu. </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kernel-team'>kernel-team</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Kernel team discussions
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/laptop-devel'>laptop-devel</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> laptop-specific development
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-desktop'>ubuntu-desktop</ulink>
</para></entry
><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> GNOME Desktop Team co-ordination and
>discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
><ulink
>url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/kubuntu-devel'>kubuntu-devel</ulink>
> </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Kubuntu Developer
>Discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
><ulink
>url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-devel'>edubuntu-devel</ulink>
> </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Edubuntu development
>discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
><ulink
>url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-devel'>xubuntu-devel</ulink>
> </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Xubuntu Development
>Discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
><ulink url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/
listinfo/Ubuntu-motu'>Ubuntu-motu</ulink> </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> mailing list for the Masters Of The Universe package
maintainers </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
-changes </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> archive upload
notification list - one for each release, sorted by codename. Find them all
<ulink url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/'>here</ulink>.
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-DCT'>Ubuntu-DCT</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Mailing list for the Debian
Collaboration Team
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para/>Ubuntu Testing and
Quality Assurance<emphasis role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbod
y><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-bugsquad'>Ubuntu-bugsquad
</ulink> </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu Bugsquad
mailing list. Currently most bug discussion takes place in the #ubuntu-bugs IRC
channel </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/laptop-testing-team'>laptop-testing-team</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu laptop testing
discussion and announcements
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para/>Other Ubuntu
teams<emphasis role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec
colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-marketing'>ubuntu-marketing</ulink>
</pa
ra></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Discussion on the
community-based marketing of Ubuntu </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-doc'>ubuntu-doc</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Documentation team
coordination and discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art'>ubuntu-art</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Discussion on Ubuntu artwork
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/Ubuntu-accessibility'>ubuntu-accessibility</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Discussion and development
of Ubuntu accessibility </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><
para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-translators'>ubuntu-translators</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Discussion about
translating Ubuntu </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-women'>ubuntu-women</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Discussion for the Ubuntu
Women team, including initiatives to improve the diversity of the Ubuntu
community </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> A list
of all the Local Community teams can be found <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamList'>here</ulink>
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para/>Community
lists<emphasis role='strong'> <informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec
colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> <ulink
url='https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/sounder'>sounder</ulink>
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu community discussion,
usually on-topic when off-topic on the other mailing lists. Sounder is the
correct term for a pack of warthogs - a reference to an early nickname for the
Ubuntu developers.
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></emphasis></para></section><section><title>IRC
channels</title><para>The more informal day-to-day chat, discussion and
short-term coordination takes place on the community IRC channels on
irc.freenode.net. Most of the main channels are <ulink
url='http://people.ubuntu.com/~fabbione/irclogs/'>logged</ulink>, so that it is
easy to look up a previous discussion for reference. </para><para>If you are
completely new to IRC, you
can <ulink url='http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/new2irc.html'>learn more about
IRC</ulink>, and learn <ulink
url='https://help.ubuntu.com/community/XChatHowto'>how to set it up in
Ubuntu</ulink>. </para><para>Please be sure to follow the <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IrcGuidelines'>IRC guidelines</ulink> when
participating on the Ubuntu IRC channels. </para><para/>NB:''' This is not an
exhaustive list of Ubuntu IRC channels - see <ulink
url='https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InternetRelayChat'>this wiki
page</ulink> for all the IRC channels of the Ubuntu community. <para><emphasis
role='strong'>Meeting channel:</emphasis> </para><informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-meeting </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> All team and council meetings are held here and scheduled
on the <ulink url='http://fridge.ubuntu.com/event'>Events calendar on the
Fridge</ulink>.
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Support channels:</emphasis> </para><informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu help channel </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu+1 </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Help channel for development versions
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #kubuntu
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Kubuntu help channel
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #edubuntu
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> main Edubuntu channel -
including support </para>
</entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #xubuntu
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> main Xubuntu channel -
including support
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para><emphasis
role='strong'>School channels:</emphasis> </para><informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-classroom </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Channel hosting bi-weekly tutorials for new Ubuntu users
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
#ubuntu-motu-school </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu
MOTU team schooling channel
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Development channels:</emphasis> </para><informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colnam
e='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-devel
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Main Ubuntu development
coordination and discussion channel </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-desktop </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> The Ubuntu GNOME desktop team coordination and discussion
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #kubuntu-devel
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Kubuntu development
coordination and discussion </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-kernel </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu kernel team coordination and discussion
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-motu
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Coordination of the Ubuntu
MOTU package maintainer
s' team </para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Ubuntu Testing and Quality Assurance</emphasis>
</para><informaltable><tgroup cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec
colname='col_1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-bugs
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Channel for Bugdays
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-laptop
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu laptop testing and
development </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
#ubuntu-server </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu server
testing and development
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para><emphasis
role='strong'>Other Team channels:</emphasis> </para><informaltable><tgroup
cols='2'><colspec colname='col_0'/><colspec colname='col_
1'/><tbody><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>#ubuntu-doc
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu documentation team
discussion and coordination </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-marketing </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Ubuntu Marketing Team discussion and coordination
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-fridge
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> The Ubuntu Fridge community
news site discussion and coordination </para></entry></row><row><entry
colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-women </para></entry><entry colsep='1'
rowsep='1'><para> Discussion channel for the Ubuntu women team
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
#ubuntu-accessibility </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
Coordination for the Accessibility Team </para><
/entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #ubuntu-locoteams
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Coordination of all local
community teams </para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
#ubuntu-translators </para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para>
Coordination and discussions about Ubuntu translations
</para></entry></row><row><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> #edubuntu-doc
</para></entry><entry colsep='1' rowsep='1'><para> Edubuntu documentation team
discussion
</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable></section><section><title>Web
Forums</title><para>The <ulink url='http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php'>Ubuntu
Web Forums</ulink> were initiated independently by Ubuntu enthusiasts within a
week of the first Ubuntu release. Since then, the forums have become a central
part of the Ubuntu community. The web forums provide an exc
ellent place for to get support and discuss the future of Ubuntu without
subscribing to high-traffic mailing lists and cluttering your inbox.
Unfortunately, very few of the core Ubuntu developers read the forums
regularly, so if you want to get in touch with them, your best bet would be to
contact them on IRC or on the mailing lists, rather than in the forums.
</para><para>When posting on the Ubuntu Web Forums, please observe <ulink
url='http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php?page=policy'>the forum
guidelines</ulink>. </para><para>A complete list of the Ubuntu Web Forums and
subforums can be found on the <ulink
url='http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php'>Web Forums front page</ulink>. There is
also a list of Web Forums <ulink
url='http://www.ubuntu.com/community/forums'>for speakers of other languages
than English</ulink>. </para></section><section><title>Developers'
Summits</title><para>At the
beginning of each new Ubuntu development cycle, the goals and features to be
implemented in that cycle are discussed and shaped at the bi-annual Ubuntu
Developers' Summits where all the core developers are present and all other
community members are invited to participate. These summits typically take a
full working week and most often take place at hotels with good conference
rooms near international airports for easy access. It is at these summits that
new feature ideas can be discussed and agreed upon. You can read <ulink
url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DeveloperSummitProcess'>more about the Summit
Process</ulink>. </para></section></section><section><title>Community
Tools</title><para>Along with the community communication channels and summits,
there are some central web-based tools which are used by the Ubuntu community
to organize the documentation, meeting agendas, bugs, translati
ons and specifications. </para><section><title>The Ubuntu Wikis</title><para>A
<ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HelpForBeginners'>wiki</ulink> is a series
of webpages that anybody can edit and where changes can be revised and undone
if necessary. You may have heard of the Wikipedia on-line encyclopedia which is
also a wiki, albeit a very big one. Ubuntu has two separate wikis with
different functions. Both of them are open for anyone to edit and improve, but
you'll need to log in first so that other people can see who edited what.
</para><section><title>The Documentation Wiki</title><para>If you come across a
solution to your support problem, you can help make it easier for others to
find the same answer. The documentation that ships with Ubuntu is all written
and maintained by the Ubuntu Community. You can contribute to the documentation
in the <ulink url='https://help.ubuntu.com/
community/'>Documentation Wiki</ulink>. </para></section><section><title>The
Community Wiki</title><para>The <ulink url='https://wiki.ubuntu.com/'>Ubuntu
Community Wiki</ulink> contains all other community documents apart from the
Help Documents. Here you will find minutes from community meetings, detailed
specifications, details on Ubuntu Summits and conferences, various policy
documents and personal pages. You can explore the Wiki and learn a lot about
the Ubuntu community in that way.
</para></section></section><section><title>Launchpad</title><para><ulink
url='https://launchpad.net/'>Launchpad</ulink> is a web platform containing a
new system of online infrastructure for Open Source Software development. It is
developed and maintained by Canonical Ltd, the company that also sponsors
Ubuntu development. Launchpad seeks to integrate many of the online services
needed for Open Source
project development and to make it easy for different Open Source projects to
collaborate and share bug reports,patches and translations. It is also meant to
make it easy to coordinate Open Source volunteers in teams and projects. Many
of the Ubuntu teams will ask you to <ulink
url='https://launchpad.net/+login'>register in Launchpad</ulink> in order to
contribute to the team. </para><section><title>The Ubuntu Bug Tracker:
Malone</title><para>Whenever you come across something that doesn't work right
in a computer program, it is most likely a <emphasis>bug</emphasis> - a problem
or error in the programming code. You can report bugs to make the developers
aware of them so that they can fix them. You should be prepared to communicate
with them, since they will often need additional information. Ubuntu uses a
bug tracking system called [www.launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bugs Malone] whic
h is integrated with the Launchpad system. Be sure to check whether the bug
you have encountered is already known before you file a new bug report. Every
bug report helps to improve Ubuntu! </para></section><section><title>The Ubuntu
Translation Tool: Rosetta</title><para>All of the text in all of the
applications in Ubuntu should be translated into any of the hundreds of active
languages in the world. <ulink
url='https://launchpad.net/rosetta'>Rosetta</ulink> is an easy-to-use web
interface integrated in the Launchpad system that allows translation of many
software projects and documentation. You can begin translating Ubuntu to your
native language right away! </para></section><section><title>The Ubuntu
Specification Tracker: Blueprint</title><para><ulink
url='https://launchpad.net/specs'>Blueprint</ulink> is the feature development
tracker in Launchpad. It allows the Ubuntu developer
s to keep track of all the specifications that are to be implemented in the
next version of Ubuntu. All community members can add write new specification
that they would like to have implemented - though they should be prepared to
discuss them with the developers and be willing to help out as needed.
</para></section></section></section></section></article>
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