Utnubu is Ubuntu spelled backwards. One of Ubuntu's activities is frequently copying packages from Debian to Ubuntu. Well, Utnubu is about the reverse, copying packages from Ubuntu to Debian. Utnubu is a subproject of the Debian Project.
Contents
Contents
Goals
- Make Debian better: Carefully select good packages in Ubuntu that are worth adding to Debian.
- Increase speed in Debian to keep up with Ubuntu: For some packages Ubuntu is ahead of Debian. Provide tools for Debian contributors to work more efficiently on copying packages from Ubuntu to Debian.
- Collaborate with Ubuntu: Reduce duplicate effort, join efforts, try to co-maintain packages compatible for Debian and Ubuntu.
Maintain packages: Some packages copied from Ubuntu to Debian were maintained by the Utnubu team itself. Utnubu no longer intends to maintain Ubuntu packages in Debian: message. Instead the Ubuntu maintainers should be encouraged to maintain their packages in Debian. It is not mandatory to join the Utnubu team; you are free to copy a package from Ubuntu to Debian without consulting the Utnubu team.
Tasks
For any Debian enthusiast
Please help us verify whether these intents to adopt (ITA) or to package (ITP) are still being worked on by contacting the owners of these ITP and ITA reports. Maybe the owner of the ITP/ITA has not yet discovered the available package in Ubuntu. Maybe the owner of the ITP/ITA has lost interest, so then it is better to retitle the report to O/RFP/RFA so that someone else can continue. Don't forget to be polite, friendly and gentle. 
How to retitle an ITP to RFP: Send an e-mail to control@bugs.debian.org with these lines in the body of the e-mail.
retitle bugnumber RFP: packagename -- short description of the package noowner bugnumber stop
More details about the tags ITA/ITP/O/RFA/RFP are explained on this page: http://www.debian.org/devel/wnpp/#l2
For the mentioned packagers
Please update your packages on this list of packages in Debian with newer versions in Ubuntu. The package in Ubuntu might inspire you to solve any tricky new things. Get yourself off this list ASAP.
For sponsors (must be DD)
If you are a DD and you are looking for packages to sponsor, here's a list of packages needing a sponsor. The packages marked red are newer in Ubuntu so these need an update in Debian.
For packagers, including non-DD's
If you have some time to create another Debian package, then feel free to choose one from this list of packages in Ubuntu and not yet in Debian. Non-DD's are welcome to ask guidance on debian-mentors@lists.debian.org after reading some documentation about Debian packaging basics.
Contacts
If you want to discuss Utnubu related things, then you are most welcome to join the utnubu-discuss mailing list. If you prefer to stay off the list, then it is best to ask for replying to you via e-mail when e-mailing to utnubu-discuss@lists.alioth.debian.org, so that you receive the replies.
The task-oriented webpages are maintained by Bart Martens and feedback is most welcome.
Links, background info, work in progress
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