blends/talk/khammam.mkd



% Debian Pure Blends
% Jonas Smedegaard
% Sarada, Khammam, October 20th, 2011
Overview

Internet
Home
Passion
Trust
Debian
Debian Pure Blends

Internet
Internet is our digital parallel World...
Home

Where you are safe
Where you can store goods
Where you can fumble and experiment

Passion


Purpose


Astronaut?
Nuclear Scientist?

Passion

~~Purpose~~
Passion!

Passion

~~Purpose~~
Passions!

Trust


trust: feeling comfortable as guest in another home


proper trust == mutual trust

Healthy environment

everyone has a home
everyone is driven by passions
everyone finds mutual trust in some others

Debian - the universal Operating System

Free Software
Ruled 100% by its own volunteers
Stable
Flexible
very very big

Debian is "the universal Operating System"
Goal: Usable everywhere
Debian - your new home?

Your home is not a commercial product of someone else
Your home can be in any of 100+ languages
Your neighbourhood has friendly users
Maintained by passionate developers
You are welcome to share your passions as an equal peer

Debian - very flexible...


Flexible: good


Very flexible: very good

Debian - too flexible!

Flexible: good
~~Very flexible: very good~~
Very flexible: very confusing!

Debian is maybe too flexible: confusing or even scary...
Debian - ways to simplify

Tolerate it: Use it as-is
Remove choice: Use e.g. Ubuntu
Use a Debian Pure Blend

Debian - simple if generic defaults are ok

Mainstream (but not too new) hardware
GNOME desktop
Iceweasel web browser (= Firefox)
Exim MTA
Apache web server
MySQL database server

Debian is simple - if you like the defaults.
Debian Pure Blend - Debian for a specific purpose
a subset of Debian configured to
support a particular target group out-of-the-box.
Goal 1
: Turn Debian into the distribution of choice for a specific target
group
Goal 2
: Advertise this fact to the world to attract users and developers
Debian Pure Blend - current blending projects

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

Deebian Pure Blends - future blends

FreedomBox
Debian LAN

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 ideals and principles in theory, 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, 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

Final words...
Be passionate!
Share your passion!
Final words...
Be passionate!
Share your passion!
This talk: http://dr.jones.dk/blends/talk/khammam/