Creating sustainable hacks

Debian - the universal operating system

18722 source packages

~1000 members

4-5000 non-member contributors

19 years old

Debian Pure Blends - Debian universally relevant

Debian Pure Blends - Debian universally relevant

Light(er than GNOME) desktop

Specific (non-english) language

Custom-designed taskbar

Custom applications included

Custom emphasized applications in menu

Custom default desktop background

Custom branding

Ideas as water

Photo: George Hodan

Downstream <-> Upstream

Sketch: Siri Reiter

Derivatives

Wandering off?

Running ahead?

Scouting?

Making a blend

pick a base distro

hack on it

optimize hacks

get hacks adopted upstream

Maintaining a blend

Photo: Thinkgeek

Debian environment

Social contract

Constitution

Policy

Blends

• Debian Jr
• Debian Med
• Debian Edu
• Debian Science
• Debian EzGo
• BrDesktop
• Debian Accessibility
• Debian Lex
• DebiChem
• Debian GIS
• Debian Multimedia

Debian Pure Blends - all Debian

• Debian packages - selections (e.g. for tasksel to pick up)
• Debian configuration - use of policy-compliant package-provided interfaces
• Debian distribution media - installing via Debian itself

DDD

Debian packages Debian configured from Debian distribution

Debian Pure Blends - why bother?

Nice on paper with ideals and priciples, but...

What's in it for me?!?

Debian Pure Blends - downsides

• annoying - Debian package maintainers may not like proposed changes
• slow - stable distribution is released infrequently
• rigid - all contributions must match Debian Free Software Guidelines
• complex - packages must obey Debian Policy

Debian Pure Blends - Benefits

• backed by Debian - help, bug tracking, translations, etc.
• teamwork - others might help you refine and maintain your setups
• common structures - others might take over if you loose interest

Tech - Debian support overloading choices

• Debian installer
• tasksel
• debconf
• aptitude

Tech - examples of non-pure blending

• include non-Debian packages or non-packaged stuff
• include Debian packages from different Debian suite
• configure system other than via Debian package installation
• install using non-Debian media

You don't own your system - you provide one for others to own.

So don't refine it like a (sloppy) user: Handle it like a Debian developer!

Tech - Debian, generic setup

• select package profile(s)
• install

Tech - Debian, hand-tuned

• select package profile(s)
• select additional packages
• install
• (re)configure packages

Tech - Debian, auto-tuned

• pre-seed package selection
• pre-seed package configurations
• install
• (re)configure non-debconf packages

Tech - Debian Pure Blend = generic

• select blend profile
• install

Tech - tasks involved

• extra software → into Debian officially
• manual configurations → preseeding
• maybe create temporary dirty hacks
• maybe use/create reusable tweaks
• eliminate dirty hacks and tweaks
• convince others in Debian to add as tasksel task

Tech - blends-dev

Tool to help maintain package lists and prospective packages.

Example: http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/tasks/psychology

Tech - dirty tricks

Avoid configuration files...

• config.d folders
• databases
• networked data

Tech - tweaks

Reusable scripts compatible with one or more of...

• FAI
• hands-off at http://hands.com/d-i/
• CFengine
• Puppet

Tech - good style

• Aptitude
• debconf
• Config::Model

Tech - When is it "Pure"?

When all is in Debian, with no dirty tricks:

• package selection(s)
• customizations
• installation

Team - getting involved

• identify and isolate tweaks at your own system
• register missing software - on wiki page or (better!) in Debian BTS
• write documentation
• write the dream of how things ought to work
• wite how details work now
• discuss downstream (i.e. with users and subdistros) how things work / should work
• discuss upstream (i.e. with authors) what is possible now / soon

Team - getting involved II

• write intro for peer enthusiasts
• decide and document ideal formats - translations, graphics etc.
• prioritize pending tasks - of various kinds to encourage many different contributions
• document where it is ok to ask beginners' questions
• document if beginners can ask for a mentor

Team - getting involved III

• make illustration
• make screendumps
• make fan graphics
• make desktop backgrounds, CD covers, stickers, etc.
• Register the project as a DOAP file, and maybe at Ohloh and Freshmeat etc.
• Register and maintain relevant Debtags

Team - getting involved IV

• Translate package descriptions
• Translate debconf dialogs
• Translate upstream code

Team - getting involved V

• Help integrate contributions from graphics artists, translators and others
• document decision processes of the team (and Debian and upstreams?)
• document workflows in teams
• insist on transparency - not only for code!

Team - Continuous status checks

• Ask users about their needs - you will forget over time!
• Ask teams about their tasks - each participant has slightly different perception of the common vision and status
• Ask upstreams about use: perhaps potentials are missed, or code or persons feel as being abused

Debian Pure Blends - Future

• debconf dontcare vs. explicit choice of default option
• debconf query mechanism (and fill buffer from live system)
• APT explicit choice of alternate dependency/recommendation
• APT dontcare vs. explicit choice of default dependency/recommendation
• Config::Model - semantic configfile handling

Sources for this talk

• Me:
• This talk: http://dr.jones.dk/blends/paris
• For Debian facts see Zack's slides: http://upsilon.cc/~zack/talks/