Summary of ideas raised to improve Debian during 2013 DPL campaign.
Summarizing http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/blog/?p=763 and conversations on http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/ starting on March 16th.
Contents
Unsorted from mailing list (Need to organize, dedupe and merge with Lucas's list):
- Find out what blocks potential candidates from running for DPL (was a discussion of DPL salary).
Project tools are sometimes too diverse: too many languages, too few people to understand and improve them. This is also a project-wide problem of not being able to make use of our human resources better. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00157.html
User facing tools don't look nice and can appear unfriendly http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00157.html
Mentoring sprints (in-person) http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00157.html
Working more with upstreams to avoid shipping old packages. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00160.html
Identify half-abandoned packages before freeze, to shorten length of freeze. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00160.html
How do deal with upstreams that want to bundle 3rd party components that are already in Debian (largely the issue when they set dependencies on components that have a different version than what ships with Debian) http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00160.html
(for infrastructure) setting up a development instance is not documented, impossible, or extremely difficult. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00164.html
- ddeb support" (or "PPA" or ...)
Pushing more standardization of packaging methods and practices, and allowing NMUs to contribute to that effort http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00168.html
More regional 1-2 day events http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00169.html
Volunteer curators, for things like RFP list http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00170.html
Encourage people who have ITP bugs or look seriously at RFP requests to post more updates and comments on bug reports http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00170.html
Debian as an FSF Free Software Distribution http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00171.html
Reevaluate status of NM application indicating 6 month's as a DM is strongly encouraged http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00178.html
Gamification of contribution to Debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00179.html
Paul Wise's wishlist: http://wiki.debian.org/PaulWise#wishlist
Moray has a list of ideas that he wants to put into wiki http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00191.html
Improving processes for distribution wide changes http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00116.html
Getting new people in Debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00008.html
Clearer paths in http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00010.html
Make it more fun for new contributors http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00010.html
More active recruitment http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00010.html
Better use of local networks, where possible. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00010.html
Make it more clear that "we need help!" http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00014.html
Gift tags: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00014.html
simplify our development procedures, advertise good practices more clearly, improve our documentation. http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00014.html
More active and transparent budget planning before money is spent http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
More active fundraising to allow the plans http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
Avoiding having major spending happen merely by DPL edict http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
Moving/merging some DebConf teams to become general Debian ones, with approriate delegates as required http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
Making sure that "official" communications can happen with company representatives and governmental organisations where appropriate http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
Pushing more topics out from the DPL to delegates http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00199.html
Assessing status of women in debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00208.html
Fix accessibility of GDM: http://bugs.debian.org/694937 http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00230.html
Explore Rolling release http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00232.html
Participation in Gnome OPFW: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00233.html
Additional ideas for accessibility: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00234.html http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00272.html
How to have these big picture discussions on improving outside of vote time? http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00243.html
Does Debian Main software need to pass the desert island test? (e.g. libechonest) http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00249.html
Advertising 'testing' as a useable distro? http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00250.html
How to improve challenges getting consensus on -devel? http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00251.html http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00315.html http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00258.html
Escalate to real life meeting http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00297.html
Better procedures for determining if a DD is active, or should be marked in-active? http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00251.html
A really good contributor-tracking system, http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00293.html
Make it easier for third parties to install/include their software on Debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00303.html http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00330.html
Removing or limiting DD rights when needed: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00309.html
Getting teams more manpower from within the project: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00310.html
Get TC involved more often and early, seeking advice: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00312.html
Supporting companies that benefit from Debian and give benefit to Debian: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00312.html
Improving Politeness, Respect, Trust, Humility (Code of Conduct) http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00319.html
What to do about maintainer misconduct http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00319.html
Making documentation by DPL delegations mandatory??: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00326.html Or not?: http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00329.html
Breaking packaging guidelines into local vs uploaded to Debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00334.html
Notes from Lucas's blog post:
Fixing accessibility in Debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00210.html
Internationalization of mentors http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00212.html
DPM vs DD http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00214.html
Improving the Debian economy http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00055.html
Crediting companies that provide manpower to debian http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00127.html
When to release http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2013/03/msg00228.html
On the campaign itself, and having general discussions inside Debian:
- have those discussions on a more regular basis, outside DPL elections (from lucas)
- use polls to measure consensus (from lucas, question from mjr)
- use a pre-arranged questionnaire that DPL candidates would fill in (from algernon)
On getting new users and contributors to Debian:
- discussion on the various steps: Debian user – first contribution – regular contributor – DM/DD (from lucas)
- maintain a single list of “paths in” (from moray and lucas)
have some “neutral” people to ask about tasks, and to get suggestions from in response to explaining their current skills and experience (e.g. http://www.debian.org/women/mentoring) (from moray)
- more local meetings, compile list of regional contacts (moray)
- increase Debian presence at local meetings. Advertise the Debian Events initiative that facilitates that (from lucas)
- provide “Debian ambassador” title for students, similar to what is done by Google or Microsoft (from moray)
- re-work on advertising gift tags (bugs suitable for new contributors) (from lucas)
- make sure teams have list of easy tasks in their wiki pages (from lucas)
- discussion on student projects involving Debian (from lucas)
do mentoring inside teams, like DebianMed’s MoM (from moray)
- participate in other internship-like programs, like Outreach Program for Women (link from lucas), or organize our own, which would also avoid some restrictions from GSoC (northern hemisphere only (point made by moray), restricted to students (ana))
- extend internship-like programs to other kinds of work (packaging, documentation, etc.)
- localize -mentors@ (mailing lists + IRC channels for DE, FR, ES contributors) (from lucas)
- organize IRC schools/seminars about e.g. packaging (from lucas)
- introduce more gamification in mentoring (from rra)
Infrastructure, processes, releases:
- improve infrastructure to help with team maintenance (e.g. PET) (from lucas)
authorize NMUs for archive-wide changeovers such as /usr/doc -> /usr/share/doc (from moray)
- increase visibility of RC bugs squashers by listing them in Debian Project News (from lucas)
- provide inexpensive non-monetary gifts (free t-shirts?) to RC bug squashers (from lucas)
- re-open discussion on gradual freezes (from lucas), focus attention on more important packages by improving tools (from lucas) and removing packages earlier (from moray and lucas)
- involve upstreams and downstreams in RC bug fixing (from algernon)
Relationships with upstreams/downstreams:
- use Debian money to sponsor maintainers to attend upstream events (from lucas)