Task List
Contents
Code
Easy
Migrate from dpatch to quilt
Mentor: Gergely Nagy
The task would consist of migrating packages from dpatch to something else (preferably quilt). Most of this can be easily done very easily, and could almost be automated (there's even scripts to help one do this), but manual review is still highly preferred. The goal would be to convert a handful of packages, and submit bugs to the BTS. While working on this task, one would learn a couple of tools related to Debian package building, and would learn a lot about packaging in general aswell. But extensive packaging knowledge is not needed for the task. There are many packages still build-depending on dpatch, and it's very easy to choose a couple of easy ones. An added benefit of this task is that multiple people can work on it simultaneously, thus increasing the benefit for Debian.
Medium
Team Metrics web interface
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Develop a website for the Team Metrics project that has an interface to present the statistical data from blends.debian.net .
Convert 3 packages using deprecated Python helpers to dh_python2
Mentor: Piotr Ozarowski
Debian packages traditionally used one of two Python packaging helpers (python-support and python-central). However, both of these are now deprecated in favour of a single helper, dh_python2. Your task is to convert 3 packages still using python-support or python-central, to dh_python2.
More information about migrating Python packages to dh_python2 can be found here.
Triage the unknown package backlog
Mentor: Gergely Nagy
Have a look at the backlog, and find reports that:
- Were responded to, and can be closed or reassigned
- Weren't responded to, and either respond to the bug, or reassign it, if appropriate
This involves figuring out whether issues can be closed (the package is not in Debian anymore (being in stable counts as being in Debian!), or it never was), or reassigned (typo in package name, for example).
Students are advised to create an action plan first, and consult the mentor before taking further action.
Hard
Scripts to aid in handling bugs against unknown packages
Mentor: Gergely Nagy
This task would be a bit of coding: writing scripts that would assist one in determining what to do with a misfiled bug:
- It would check incoming.d.o
- It would check the removal logs
Bonus points if it recognises kernel images, and suggests reassigning the bug to src:linux-2.6 :>
- The handiest part would be if it would check a few other, known repositories (ubuntu, debian-multimedia, oracle [virtualbox]), and see if the package exists there.
- It could also look for garbage before or after the package name (I've seen many bugs get misfiled due to the Package: name header having an unbreaking space after the :).
- It could check whether parts of the Package line are valid package names (I've seen stuff filed against "package in squeeze (amd64)" or similar, which end up getting assigned to the appropriate package AND 3 other, unknown packages ["squeeze", "in" and "(amd64)"])
- Detecting typos in package names would also be grand.
Documentation
Easy
Write 5 manual pages
Mentor: Vincent Cheng
Debian packages which provide binaries in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /bin, /sbin or /usr/games should have a manual page; a missing manpage is considered a bug (refer to Debian Policy section 12.1 for details). Your task is to write at least 5 manual pages of substantial length for packages with missing manual pages (check here for a list of such packages), and file bug reports to the Debian BTS with your completed manpages.
You may find this webpage to be a useful resource; also consider using help2man(1) to start you off on the right track.
Medium
Documentation for Team Metrics
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
As of now, the Debian Teams Activity Metrics project doesn't have any documentation. Your task is to write documentation for the project and reflect what it is about. This involves understanding the project and how it works.
usercategories documentation
Mentor: Gergely Nagy
I "recently" discovered usertags, and while they're pretty simple, and reasonably well documented, the documentation on usercategories is... lacking. Researching and documenting this part of the BTS would be welcomed by many.
Hard
Outreach
Easy
Create a default set of user data to make a demo machine non-empty
Mentor: Sune Vuorela
Create a video showing how to install Debian in your language, and upload it to YouTube
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Add more screenshots to screenshot.d.n
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Medium
Hard
Quality Assurance
Easy
Go (deb-)tagging!
Mentor: Vincent Cheng
Packages in the Debian archives can be tagged with a list of descriptive tags, a set of categories to describe Debian packages. However, a large number of packages in the archives are not yet tagged; your task is to tag 20 packages with the most appropriate set of tags.
This page has links to everything you need to know to accomplish this task. Once you're ready, go deb-tagging!
Medium
Orphaned / QA-maintained package face-lifting
Mentor: Gergely Nagy
Orphaned and QA maintained packages tend to bit-rot from time to time. This task would involve choosing at least two packages that are in need of an update (ancient standards-version, obsolete debhelper compatibility level, that kind of stuff), and update them to something more modern, such as standards-version 3.9.2, and debhelper 8.
While there, these packages could also be (optionally) converted to 3.0 (quilt) format, if they aren't already.
Make 5 packages lintian clean
Mentor: Vincent Cheng
Lintian is a tool that analyzes Debian packages and outputs a list of packaging issues and possible Policy violations in that package. It contains automated checks for many aspects of Debian policy as well as some checks for common errors.
Your task is to fix all lintian errors and warnings in 5 packages of your choice, i.e. to make those packages lintian clean. One place to start is here.
Hard
Validate tools used in the Team Metrics project
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
For the Debian Teams Activity Metrics project, we measure the performance using a variety of metrics. Your job will be to test the statistical output generated, compare them with the raw data and help us to identify possible flaws in our tools that generate these statistics. Please note that this task will require lots of investigation of perhaps large amounts of data. Bonus points if you can automate your approach.
Fix a RC bug
Mentor: Vincent Cheng
Fix any release-critical bug currently in the Debian BTS (bug-tracking system). A RC bug is a bug that has severity "critical", "grave", or "serious". Your task is to learn how to handle bugs in Debian, and then to pick any RC bug and fix it.
Research
Easy
Medium
Hard
Suggest new metrics for measuring team performance
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
For the Debian Teams Activity Metrics project, find and suggest new metrics that will help in gauging team performance. Ideas that are not perfect (or nowhere near it), are also welcome.
Training
Easy
Medium
Hard
Translation
Easy
Medium
Hard
User Interface
Easy
Show four different desktop environments in Debian, and showcase their strenghts and weaknesses
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Create a video titled '''The Unstable Desktop''', showing how Debian unstable is useful as a desktop, despite its scary name
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Create a video showing how to upgrade an older version of Debian to a newer one, and upload it to YouTube
Mentor: Sukhbir Singh
Medium