[00:00] it's challenging to prepare a session because there are so many things you can do with them and so many levels of knowledge [00:00] so actually the best thing you can do is ask me on #bzr or #launchpad [00:00] Or ask the channel, we're a pretty friendly bunch. [00:01] and lots of us have had to climb the learning curve recently, so we know what it's like [00:01] That's it from me [00:02] You're all wonderful :) [00:02] happy hacking! [00:04] * RainCT hugs jml :) [00:05] * arky claps [00:06] \o/ [00:06] thanks jml [00:07] my pleasure. [00:41] hey [00:41] :-D === RoozbehOnline is now known as Roozbeh|Away === Israphel_ is now known as Israphel === kicco is now known as RSEISUB === RSEISUB is now known as kicco === RoAk is now known as RoAkSoAx === JManGt_ is now known as JManGt === mODYe| is now known as sars [03:32] quit === micahg1 is now known as micahg === sars is now known as futureistyranny === micahg1 is now known as micahg [07:18] 'part === kenny is now known as Guest27102 [08:47] hello? === futureistyranny is now known as maha [13:18] That happens to me on the [13:18] ¬.¬ === maha is now known as peaceangel === peaceangel is now known as maha === maha is now known as Maha === Maha is now known as maha === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to Open Week || Session: 1500 UTC: Launchpad Soyuz Overview || https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek || All questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [14:50] We'll get started in a bout an hour and 10 minutes! [15:48] morning jorge [15:48] morning bbb_ ! [15:48] we'll start in about 12 minutes! [15:51] cprov: you're up first! [15:51] before we get started, thanks again everyone for coming, as always, please keep this channel clear for the presenter [15:51] jcastro: yes, I'm ready. [15:51] and post your questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [15:52] cprov: ok, ~8 more minutes! [15:52] sure [16:00] ok cprov, take it away! [16:00] jcastro: thanks [16:01] Hi everyone, we are here to talk about Soyuz, a Launchpad subsystem. [16:01] feel free to send your question in #ubuntu-classroom-chat anytime. [16:02] In this session I want to give a overview about the Soyuz and which roles it plays in the Launchpad ecosystems === bbb_ is now known as bbb [16:03] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CelsoProvidelo/SoyuzInfrastructureOverview has a diagram of the soyuz moving parts. [16:03] Basically Soyuz = upload processing + building + package publication. [16:04] oh, we already have a question: [16:04] Odd_Bloke: QUESTION: Which part is Soyuz again? And is it named after Chinese food? [16:04] funny, huh? [16:05] Soyuz is named after the soviet space-programme/rocket -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_programme [16:06] back to the main subject, Soyuz is the background infrastructure for the Ubuntu package management system and the Launchpad PPAs [16:07] I thought we were going to have more questions. [16:09] jcastro: Question: Can you talk about some of the new features that we can look forward to in soyuz? [16:10] jcastro: good one! we are looking forward to have proper integration with Launchpad Codehosting very soon. [16:10] jcastro: cprov: so we can build packages rigfht from hosted code on lp? [16:10] exactly [16:11] user will be able to branch and build source packages very easily. [16:12] no painfully huge tarball uploads anymore, just one click and a branch will be materialized as a source package in Ubuntu or your PPA. [16:12] genii: QUESTION: Whats the policy on inclusion of binary blobs, proprietary bits, etc [16:14] genii: it depends on the license, nothing forbids you to upload a binary blob with a source package and distribute it in your PPA, but if it violates the upstream license the PPA will be deactivated as soon as someone complains. [16:14] tsimpson: QUESTION: why invent soyuz, wasn't there anything else that does what you want? [16:15] tsimpson: no, there wasn't anything that could be easily integrated with Launchpad off-the-shelve. [16:16] tsimpson: however it seems unfair to not mention that a lot of the knowledge encoded in Soyuz parts comes from the Debian experience, as many other systems over there. [16:17] jtholmes: QUESTION: who is allow to perform the builds, devs, ordinary users...? [16:18] jtholmes: right now, every ubuntu developer (launchpad users with permission to upload to ubuntu) OR every Launchpad user with a PPA (who has signed the Ubuntu Code of Conduct). [16:18] jtholmes: PPA make it available to almost everyone. [16:18] genii: QUESTION: Will Soyuz be included when LP is open-sourced soon? [16:18] good one, too. [16:19] genii: unfortunately, Soyuz won't be included in the initial release. [16:20] tsimpson: QUESTION: can we get some more builders for PPAs? please :) [16:21] tsimpson: yes, soon about 18 builders will be returned to their normal operation, building PPA sources. [16:22] tsimpson: they are helping to serve jaunty, atm. [16:22] Odd_Bloke: QUESTION: Will Soyuz be included in any later releases of LP code? And is it being kept proprietary because it can't easily be relicensed, or because Canonical depends on it for revenue? [16:23] Odd_Bloke: I can't guarantee, since this decision involves a lot of other interests inside the company, but I can tell that we are working hard to have a concrete and realistic plan to release Soyuz code. [16:25] from the development perspective it would be great to release Soyuz code, we are looking forward to allow the community to actively work with it. [16:25] Odd_Bloke: QUESTION: Is support for building Debian packages on the cards? [16:26] Odd_Bloke: yes, we are effectively planning to have Debian-PPAs very soon after the Launchpad code release. [16:27] debian-PPA = sources published and build in an native debian environment. [16:27] james_w: QUESTION: is there a plan to help with having the same source in different releases without having to upload multiple times with just a changelog tweak? [16:27] james_w: yes, that's actually supported in the debian changelog format [16:28] james_w: and there is a bug filled in Launchpad 3.0 release, which means that it should be done by July. [16:29] james_w: we have to work on rebuild index support in Launchpad, so the same source can generate *different* binary versions when building in different suites. [16:29] james_w: but it's feasible and should be in place very soon. [16:30] james_w: so it will be done by rebuilding with a different binary version, rather than copying the binaries forward? [16:31] yes, the source will be rebuilt in each target suite [16:32] james_w: copying is already supported (internally, not in the UI) but it's not what multi-target uploads are suppose to do, right ? [16:32] james_w: QUESTION: that sounds excellent, thanks. Will the same mechanism make it possible for us to do no-change rebuilds in Ubuntu without a sourceful upload? [16:33] james_w: yes, well observed, the rebuild-infrastructure will be used for no-change rebuilds as well [16:34] no-change rebuilds = a subset of source have to be rebuilt within a suite in order to take advantage a new common build-dependency. [16:36] ah, together with all this infrastructure changes we are putting together a group of changes in the Launchpad UI to make it easier for user to search and navigate on Ubuntu packages [16:38] Martin Albisete, LP UI guy, has put a lot of effort planning richer pages (including a lot more information and apt-url links) for ubuntu packages. [16:38] those changes will start to land soon in edge.lp.net, so stay tuned. [16:42] I got quiet again ... I've asked how many people are using the Soyuz bits in the LP API and no one answered. I guess it means we need some more advertising/documentation on that. [16:45] It's worth noting that Debian sources are being imported by Launchpad for a long time already and it's synced 2x a day (soon going to follow 4x a day), https://edge.launchpad.net/debian [16:45] and APIs also work for them. [16:46] There is probably some use for that, even if you are not directly involved with the ubuntu community. [16:49] We are approaching the end of the session, feel free to ask more question directly to me, use the Launchpad 'contact this user' feature at https://edge.launchpad.net/~cprov :) === a|wen_ is now known as a|wen [16:51] That's pretty much it. It was a pleasure to talk about Soyuz again and It is good to hear that the interest in having its code released as FOSS still high. [16:52] it will certainly count in the paths we are choosing ... [16:52] oh, last-minute question [16:52] james_w: QUESTION: how's progress going on giving us a "Sync this!" button for Ubuntu to pull in changes from Debian? I understand that is being worked towards as well. [16:53] james_w: good point! yes, that's one of the things that are in our pipeline for 3.0 [16:54] james_w: I admit it's getting hard to find a place for it in the middle of all the other features going on, but I believe it will make it. [16:54] browse to a debian source, and if you have upload permissions to ubuntu there will be a 'Sync it!' button [16:55] 5 minute warning! [16:55] click on it, choose ubuntu and then the source will be copied to ubuntu with a re-constructed changelog, which will include all the pertinent changes occurred in debian that are being synced to ubuntu. [16:56] That's it for Soyuz. Thanks everyone for their patience and all the great questions! [16:57] thanks cprov [16:57] cheers (Y) === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to Open Week || Session: 1600 UTC: Launchpad Translations || https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek || All questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [16:57] thanks cprov! [16:57] <^arky^> thanks cprov [16:57] ok, in a few minutes dpm will kick off with Demystifying Launchpad Translations [17:01] dpm: take it away! [17:01] this is dpm's first session ever so let's try to ask good questions! [17:01] ok, thanks jcastro [17:01] soren, hello everyone, thank you very much for coming and be warmly welcome to this session on Launchpad Translations! [17:02] My name is David Planella, and I have very recently joined the Community team as the Ubuntu Translations Coordinator. [17:02] As such I've been appointed as the Fourth Horseman under Jono Bacon's lead, riding along with Jorge Castro and Daniel Holbach in this exciting journey. [17:03] My task will be to work with and within the Ubuntu translations community to provide the best translations in the free software world [17:03] - as simple as that. [17:03] good [17:03] I strongly believe that software should be available in every user's language, and in pursuing this goal I've also been a long time contributor to free/open source translations in my own language, [17:04] which is a voluntary task I will continue doing, as usual, whenever time allows. [17:04] First of all, a few words on how this session will be structured: this will not be a tutorial on how to translate Ubuntu, but rather an overview of our cool translation tool and some of its features not many of you folks might yet be aware of. [17:04] Here are the topics I'd like to talk about today... [17:04] 1. Launchpad Translations [17:05] 2. Translation updates [17:05] 3. Giving back to upstream [17:05] 4. Upstream prevalence [17:05] 5. Quality assurance [17:05] 6. External projects [17:05] 7. Community [17:05] 8. Contributing to Ubuntu Translations [17:05] Questions and answers [17:06] It's a long list so I might have to shorten the topics if we get short on time [17:06] So without further ado... [17:06] Let's get going [17:06] = Launchpad Translations (1/8) = [17:06] As most of you probably know, Launchpad (http://launchpad.net) is the tool used for development and maintenance of Ubuntu. [17:07] To this respect, Translations are not an exception, and perfectly married to Ubuntu's goal to make translations a first class citizen in the open source scene, Launchpad sports a dedicated component for translating Ubuntu [17:08] This component goes by the very imaginative name of Launchpad Translations (https://translations.launchpad.net/), and it effectively allows translating Ubuntu in a distributed manner. In other words, it is an online translation tool. [17:08] Some of you might also know it by its codename: Rosetta [17:09] Ubuntu is currently translated in about 200 languages, with different levels of coverage, and can easily support more. You can see the languages supported of in our shiny new version of Ubuntu here: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+translations [17:09] These translations are made by the community, organised in several translation teams https://translations.launchpad.net/+groups/ubuntu-translators [17:10] And I must not forget to remark that many of these translations come also from upstream translation communities and are then imported into Ubuntu [17:10] = Translation updates (2/8) = [17:11] One of the big advantages of using Launchpad Translations is that it allows contributors to translate not even during the development stage of a given Ubuntu version, but also after the release - that is, during its complete life cycle === caty is now known as cATY_BRB [17:11] - why is that so cool?, I hear you ask [17:12] Enter language packs [17:12] These are software packages containing translations from Rosetta. They are released at regular intervals with snapshots of the translations contributors have been doing in Rosetta. [17:12] That effectively means that new translations are regularly released, independently from applications, and users can in short time see the improvements and fixes done by translators. [17:13] We build update packages for all stable releases once a week and upload them into the ubuntu-langpack PPA at https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-langpack/+archive/ppa. From there they ultimately make their way into the distro, which is when users see the changes [17:14] More on language packs -> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TranslatingUbuntu/LanguagePacks [17:14] = Giving back to upstream (3/8) = [17:14] We do not yet have a mechanism in place to automatically push Ubuntu translations to the upstream projects - i.e. the original projects from which some translations come from. [17:15] As those of you involved with translations will know, this is a tricky task. [17:16] There is a variety of projects with different translation formats, infrastructures and policies which make this difficult. [17:17] As an example, not all upstream communities would be happy with committing translations from Ubuntu translators automatically without having reviewed them themselves to make sure they comply with their guidelines. [17:18] In short, we have not yet -and I believe no one else has- developed a tool which is a substitute for human communication [17:18] As such, we encourage translation teams to work together with their local upstream translation communities, to make sure there is a smooth communication and to give back their contributions when necessary. [17:19] What we do provide is great flexibility in getting these translations out of Rosetta and back to upstream [17:20] * You can download the translations on a per-package-basis, either for a given language or for all languages [17:20] * The whole lot of language pack tarballs containing all translations for a given release can also be conveniently downloaded from here https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+language-packs (the Jaunty ones, as an example) [17:21] * We have also got a recent feature which allows you to export only the translation changes made in Launchpad -> http://blog.launchpad.net/translations/partial-po-export-holding-post [17:22] * In fact, even if you only contribute to upstream, this flexibility already gives you the best of both worlds: you can use the nice Rosetta interface to translate on line, download the translation when you are finished, and submit it upstream. [17:23] In any case, we are always happy to listen to what the community wants, and we are continually assessing new ways to improve this interaction with upstream [17:23] = Upstream prevalence (4/8) = [17:23] Still related to upstream, a few months ago we also implemented a feature addressing the wishes of the community and that maybe not so many people are aware of. [17:23] Now translations from upstream have got prevalence over the ones from Launchpad. [17:24] Yes, this means that the upstream strings effectively override those translated in Launchpad. [17:25] However, we want Ubuntu translation teams to keep their ability to decide whether a string needs to be changed in particular cases (e.g. in case of a translation mistake) [17:26] With this feature we get the original translations from upstream and the flexibility to either complete them or fix them in specific situations. Together with the fact that these fixes and new translations are soon released to the users through language packs, this make us unstoppable! ;) [17:26] You will find some more detailed information on this feature here -> https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-translators/2008-December/001994.html [17:26] = Quality assurance (5/8) = [17:27] Quality is also an important aspect in Ubuntu translations [17:27] In order to address this, we provide flexibility for each team to decide which permission policy they want to use for translations: https://help.launchpad.net/Translations/YourProject#Choosing%20a%20permissions%20policy [17:28] The Rosetta user interface also supports this in the form of translation suggestions, allowing a review process to be adopted by the team [17:28] We encourage each team to have a set of guidelines -including e.g. best practices, translation guides and glossaries-, and they can include a link to those in the Launchpad interface [17:29] In this way translators are aware of them an can conveniently click on those to consult them any time during translation [17:29] More information on translation stile guides here -> http://blog.launchpad.net/translations/translations-style-guides [17:30] = External projects (6/8) = [17:32] The Rosetta developers, not being contented with providing a tool for Ubuntu translations, went up a step higher towards world domination and allowed for external projects not associated with Ubuntu to use their translation tool. [17:32] Launchpad offers translation hosting for upstream projects, independently of where they are hosted and of which version control system they use. They can simply register to Launchpad for the use of translations. [17:33] In other words, a project can have its code and webpage hosted somewhere else than in Launchpad AND still use the benefits of Rosetta [17:34] ... AND make translators happy along the way [17:34] now how many of you translators here have had to chase a developer through mailing list for months on end until your translation was ever commited? [17:35] We want to help communities not specifically related to Ubuntu organize themselves and their efforts around Launchpad, and with that in mind we created the Launchpad Translators group [17:36] This is a project started and driven by community members who came up with the idea at the last UDS, with the purpose to help coordinating the efforts of translating external projects in Launchpad [17:36] You'll find more information about it here https://launchpad.net/~launchpad-translators === cATY_BRB is now known as caty [17:37] Least but not last, I'd like to mention that although it is not a requirement for external projects using Launchpad, if they choose bzr as their version control system they will get to taste two of the new features which came fresh from the Rosetta developers' oven: [17:38] Automatic imports of templates (http://blog.launchpad.net/translations/import-translation-templates-from-your-projects-bazaar-branches) and translations (http://blog.launchpad.net/translations/import-translations-from-bazaar-branches). [17:39] I'll leave it up to you to read more on those. [17:39] = Community (7/8) = [17:39] As in the rest of Ubuntu, we want translations to have an open workflow and welcome the community to participate in this process [17:41] As a means of pursuing this goal, we've got several open communication channels such as mailing lists, the Ubuntu wiki and IRC -> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TranslatingUbuntu/Contact [17:42] We want to empower the community to be able to completely manage Ubuntu translations without the need of any developer intervention === Rafik_ is now known as Rafik [17:42] To this purpose, we've got the Ubuntu Translation Coordinators team (https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-translation-coordinator), of which some of the community members who are doing awesome contributions to translations are already part of. [17:43] There's already great progress there, but there's always more to do. [17:43] Freedom: as some of you may now, we are we are making Launchpad free software with the release 3.0 coming in July 2009! [17:44] = Contributing to Ubuntu Translations (8/8) = [17:44] soren, are you interested in translating Ubuntu into your own language and let yourself and many other users enjoy the results of your effort? Go on, contact your local team and contribute to the spirit of Ubuntu! [17:45] You can just go to https://translations.launchpad.net/+groups/ubuntu-translators and look for the team in charge of the language you are interested in [17:45] Then you can click on its link and finally click on the 'Overview' tab of its Launchpad space [17:46] There you will find information on how to join them, and they will assist you in your first steps using Rosetta and translating Ubuntu [17:47] For general discussion and information, feel welcome to use any of the communication channels available -> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TranslatingUbuntu/Contact [17:47] Here are a few additional links which will help you getting started: [17:47] • List of Ubuntu Translation teams: https://translations.launchpad.net/+groups/ubuntu-translators [17:47] • List of Launchpad Translation teams (for projects not specific to Ubuntu): https://translations.launchpad.net/+groups/launchpad-translators [17:48] • How to translate Ubuntu: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/TranslatingUbuntu [17:48] • Launchpad Translations help: https://help.launchpad.net/Translations [17:48] • Questions and answers on Launchpad translations: https://answers.launchpad.net/rosetta [17:48] And remember, many of those are wiki resources, so you can also contribute to expanding and improving them [17:49] phew, we covered a lot of ground there. Thanks for listening so far. [17:49] we'll now head up to the Q+A part [17:50] <^arky^> Question: Why does some LP packages like say gnome-orca does not have the Translations link? [17:51] It might have been that a developer forgot to link to a release series, in any case, you can find the gnome-orca translations here -> https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+source/gnome-orca [17:51]

QUESTION: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/jaunty/+source/xubuntu-docs/+pots/about-xubuntu/ar/+translate has several suggestions listed. Who approves/disapproves those? [17:52] The Ubuntu Arabic Translators team seems to be in charge of those -> https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-l10n-ar [17:52] As such, they can review and approve suggestions [17:53] You'll find more information, such as how to contact them, on their wiki page -> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ArabicTranslationTeam [17:54] 5 minute warning! [17:56] ok, we'll take a 5 minute break since there are no questions [17:56] thanks dpm! [17:56] :) [17:56] Many thanks for listening and I hope to see some of you guys contributing to translations very soon! [17:57] thanks dpm === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to Open Week || Session: 1700 UTC: Exhibiting Ubuntu at Conferences || https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek || All questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [17:59] alright guys, next we have Flannel and Yasumoto on how to exhibit ubuntu at conferences [17:59] so, whenever you guys are ready, take it away! [18:00] will do, thanks jcastro [18:00] Hello everyone, and welcome to our topic. Today we're going to be covering how to Exhibit Ubuntu at Conferences. [18:00] This is mainly aimed at LoCos, since they are typically the groups that will be representing Ubuntu in the area. [18:00] I'm Joe Smith, a member of the Ubuntu California team. I'm also a member of the Southern California Linux Expo's Community Relations committee, which is in charge of organizing the community groups that exhibit on the expo hall floor. [18:01] Conferences are a great place to meet new people and get together with your friends to have a great time. [18:01] A lot more local Open Source conferences are being organized, which is really nice, and they usually have a show floor to allow different groups to exhibit. [18:02] Most of these have space for sponsors (typically companies that can pay to support the conference) and community groups. [18:02] These are generally local volunteers, such as Fedora Ambassadors, LoCo teams, or other members of community projects. [18:02] Most of these have space for sponsors (typically companies that can pay to support the conference) and community groups. [18:02] These are generally local volunteers, such as Fedora Ambassadors, LoCo teams, or other members of community projects. [18:02] These are generally local volunteers, such as Fedora Ambassadors, LoCo teams, or other members of community projects. [18:02] * Flannel bumps the needle. [18:03] So, any general questions about conferences? [18:03] Flannel: thanks :) [18:04] Attendees walk around the hall, looking for some cool conversation and schwag, which they usually find in abundance. [18:04] Once you and your LoCo team hear about a conference that you all want to attend and work a booth at, you need to get in touch with the event organizers and register. [18:04] You'll want to have someone take point on this. Look through the conference website for the person in charge of community groups, also know as dotOrgs (because they typically have websites such as openssh.org) [18:04] Find the "How to apply as an exhibitor" section (such as this one for SCaLE http://scale7x.socallinuxexpo.org/conference-info/call-for-dotorg-exhibitors) and follow the steps. [18:05] Be sure to CC any other group members that are working with you to set up the conference, and be sure to email the list regularly detailing your progress. [18:05] Sometimes, it's good to just email even if it's just "I'm still waiting to hear back from them, but I'll send them a followup email in a few days just in case" [18:06] This lets your group know that you've got the boring paperwork under control, which is something you don't want to be worrying about. [18:06] Try to be helpful and respectful, but definitely ask them any questions you have, and don't be shy. [18:06] If they ask you a question, or for more information, work with your group and get back to them in a reasonable amount of time. [18:07] It's their job to help you out :) [18:07] Once you've registered the team, you need to double check and make sure your members are taken care of. [18:07] This generally includes both housing and conference registration. [18:07] Most conferences give a certain number of passes to each exhibiting group, and get a list of names before the event so they know who to expect. [18:08] This leads to figuring out who will volunteer, which I'll get to in a bit. [18:08] Conferences usually are able to find a discounted group rate for the hotel, which is nice. [18:08] It may not be the cheapest place to stay at, so for those on a budget, it's good to look around. [18:08] Don't wait until the last minute! It's important to get your hotel booked as soon as possible. [18:09] You' don't want to find out that the hotel rooms are filled, and you'll have to be at one that's across the city. [18:09] So that's generally it for the conference-related work that you need to do beforehand. [18:09] Any questions about registration, or preparation logistics? [18:09] QUESTION: Can any LoCo or ubuntu community member set up and exhibit or do you have to get permission to do that from someone? [18:10] Surprisingly, I generally found the answer to be no, which I thought is pretty cool. [18:11] Just make sure you're not duplicating effort [18:11] The one catch is that you'll need to make sure that you don't have two groups trying to represent at one conference, which can be troublesome. [18:11] If you've spent some time in your area, you should be pretty tied in with any Ubuntu community members, and you can coordinate. [18:12] Grantbow> QUESTION: by "mail the list" do you mean the loco's own mail list? [18:13] Yes, I did. That's actually shorthand for "the place your LoCo communicates with each other" [18:13] mailing lists are usually ideal, as they can be read by people that aren't online when you send it out (unlike IRC), which is nice [18:14] Alright, moving on [18:14] In order to get your LoCo ready, it takes a bit more work :) [18:14] This is where you need to focus on knowing your volunteers, setting up a schedule, and getting a list of things to bring. [18:14] So your volunteers will be the members of your LoCo that want to participate. [18:15] Conferences are a really great opportunity for people to all pitch in for an event that's usually a bit larger than normal ones. [18:16] I've found that the team Wiki pages are a good way to organize who's going to help out. [18:16] This is where you can set up a schedule, starting from when the conference's expo hall opens until it closes [18:17] It's generally helpful to set up shifts of about two to three hours, as that gives people time to walk around and grab some food. [18:17] I've found that most people like to hang out at the booth regardless, because there's a lot of energy and it's really fun :) [18:18] You'll also want to set up a list of items you need to bring. [18:18] For an example, I'll direct you guys to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CaliforniaTeam/Projects/Scale7x [18:18] Grantbow> QUESTION: Especially for smaller events, should organizers be prepared in the case that few others help out? [18:19] Yes, definitely. [18:19] There can be the case where certain people won't be able to make it, so you should have a few people around that can assist as needed. [18:19] So on the wiki page, we have a list of stuff [18:20] This stuff can be rather nebulous, and range from demo computers to snacks for the team [18:21] For our booth at the Southern California Linux Expo, the conference provided a network drop and a power outlet, which made life easier on us. [18:21] We also brought in some extra power strips and a mini linksys router, since we wanted to set up demo computers [18:22] If people have computers (preferably laptops, since they're easier to carry!) to demo Ubuntu, that's great. [18:22] Sometimes attendees may not be familiar with ubuntu, or even linux in general, so it's nice to have it there to let them explore :) [18:23] That worked out for us, but the key is to ask your team what you guys want your booth to be. [18:24] Once you guys get a list of what you'll need, that's when you can set up a table [18:24] This'll let your team know what you still need, and help people check off what they can bring [18:26] So once you have determined what you need, and the schedule for working the booth, it's time to get ready for the actual day [18:27] About two weeks beforehand, you'll want to go through the list and prune out obscure/unpopular items [18:27] You should do this as a team, if not at an in-person meeting, then IRC will work. [18:28] It's also a good idea to touch base with the conference organizer, just to make sure everything's going as expected. [18:29] Conferences usually have a setup time, which is when you should show up with all your gear and get it setup. [18:30] Sometimes this is actually the day before the conference, which will allow you ample time to get things together (maybe even some time to head back and pick up anything you may have forgotten) [18:31] Make sure that you're keeping tabs on your volunteers, you want to make sure that everyone's on time and bringing what you need. [18:31] At set up, you've have an opportunity to chat with other exhibitors as they're setting up, and there's a lot of pent-up energy, since everyone's excited for the event to start. [18:32] Some conferences start up the Expo Hall after their Keynote presentation, so if there are members that are interested in attending, you should feel free to check it out. [18:33] After the keynote, the floodgates open, and people will make a mad dash to your booth :) [18:33] This is when all the preparation starts to pay off. [18:34] You'll meet a very wide array of people, from students to CIOs. [18:34] 5/quit [18:34] It's generally best to be friendly and open, most people will have a question they want to know [18:35] Don't worry if you don't know the answer off the top of your head, maybe another team member will know the answer, and you can help get them together to talk about the topic. [18:35] Sometimes, if it's an obscure question or you're not sure, the best thing is to point them in the right direction, maybe telling them an IRC channel, for instance. [18:36] It's usually helpful to read up on some topics beforehand, such as the latest Release Notes, the past few Ubuntu Weekly News, and maybe some general technology news sites. [18:37] Any questions so far? [18:37] rufong> QUESTION:where has your team been meeting IRL? (to plan for the conference) [18:38] I'm a student at Chapman University, and it's pretty easy to meet up in one of the computer labs on campus, so that's been our default meeting place for a while. [18:38] Restaurants are also a good place to meet up [18:38] The important part is somewhere that has a warm and friendly atmosphere [18:39] Oh, I think I misunderstood the question a bit. [18:39] We haven't actually had any in-person planning meetings, we've done it all on IRC. [18:40] Using a combination of our bi-weekly IRC meetings and the mailing list to communicate, and our wiki page for static lists has served us well. [18:41] We're a little hindered in California because of the size of the state, it makes it difficult to get everyone together. [18:41] Grantbow> QUESTION: which wiki pages have been most helpful to you in peparing for conferences? such as https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ConferenceTopTips and https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoComputerFairHowto [18:41] good question, I actually haven't seen the Fair howto before [18:42] I think I skimmed those pages, but didn't really get much help from them. I'm planning on distilling a lot of the info from this talk into updating the wiki pages a bit. [18:42] But there's also https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ConferenceAppearances [18:42] Which is where you should list that your LoCo will be at the conference [18:43] This is mainly a history, and also helps to prevent groups from stepping on each other's toes [18:43] There's also https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuAtConferences [18:43] Which has some information about some support from Canonical for LoCos at conferences, which is nice [18:44] Alright, so. [18:44] We've already learned a bit on how to set up and plan for a conference. [18:44] But what do we want to plan for our booth? [18:44] The purpose of the booth is to increase awareness and get the word out (and to have fun!) [18:44] So we want to make sure whatever we plan fits those needs. [18:45] Another thing to remember is you'll be dealing with hundreds of people over the course of the day, [18:45] all of whom have different interests, needs, and levels of knowledge about Ubuntu (and linux). [18:45] You need to make sure people are engaged, and information is available. [18:45] How you do this is up to you, there's almost no wrong way to do it. [18:45] What we always end up doing is fairly simple and straight forward: [18:45] We have a few computers open to the public for people to play with, [18:46] and we also have CDs to give out. [18:46] (and then of course, we're around to talk with people) [18:46] For actual schwag type stuff, we rely almost entirely on the LoCo conference pack from Canonical. ( https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuAtConferences ) [18:46] It provides an assortment of pens, flyers, stickers, and some t-shirts. [18:47] We usually give the shirts to people who will be working the booth. [18:47] In the past we've also purchased a bunch of hats, so people working the booth have a distinguishing feature. [18:47] One other thing we do is make nametags for everyone working the booth : http://www.nhaines.com/ubuntu/california/ [18:47] These will help people walking by know who to ask for information, and can provide a little more incentive for people to help out. [18:48] Another thing we've found works well is the way we organize our booth. [18:48] Many booths have two walls and a table in front, people sit behind the table and talk to you with the table littered with items. [18:48] What we've been lucky enough to do, is to put our tables near the walls of our booth (we actually make a U, with the opening towards the aisle) [18:49] and then we stand inside/in front of our booth, and talk to people. [18:49] It provides a really welcoming atmosphere (and gives us a little more room) [18:51] (We [18:51] (we're seeing about getting you a picture of that, but in the meantime) [18:52] Again, you want to make sure you're there to talk with a whole range of people. And yes, some people will be there just to get a sticker or a CD, or whatever. [18:52] Earlier we had a question about whether we do installfests at a conference. [18:52] It wouldn't really be a good idea at the booth, since it'll be busy and there will be a lot of people around. [18:53] If you have individuals who want to install, it might be best to take them aside and do it one-on-one [18:53] The same goes, as we found last time, for bug jams [18:54] We tried to do a bug jam (as part of Global Bug Jam) in a separate room from the expo, and it didn't turn out so well. [18:54] People at conferences want to experience the conference, not do bugwork as we've found. [18:54] We've only got five minutes left, and we haven't covered nearly as much as we hoped we would. [18:54] Here's a picture of the booth from SCaLE6x: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nathanhaines/2353642188/ [18:55] I'm going to go ahead and open it up to questions. And then touch base on a few more things while we wrap this up. [18:56] In that image-We put demo computers on the yellow table, facing left (out), for people to play with. [18:56] CDs-- We give out burned ones. No one seems to have an issue with it. [18:56] To make them look a little better, we've made some sleeves that we print and fold up, and slide the CDs into. [18:56] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CaliforniaTeam/Projects/CDSleeves [18:57] Having Yellow, Red, and Orange table cloths really helped the booth stand out, and were pretty cheap [18:57] It basically hides our horrible handwriting on the CD itself, and provides some information on the CD itself (as opposed to a plastic jacket or whatever). [18:58] We burn CDs at the conference, because it allows us to give people what they want (we get a lot of Edubuntu actually) [18:58] We're currently writing software to faciliate this, make it almost hands-free. But it's not working yet. [18:58] We've found that with two burners, you can generally keep up with a conference. [18:59] Anyway, we're running out of time. We'd be more than happy to talk with you later if you have questions or comments or want to discuss things. [18:59] genii> QUESTION: What do we do if our LoCo team seems inactive but we want to hold/participate in conferences?' [19:00] We've successfully run a booth with four people, so if you can get a dedicated core group, you'll be fine. (You can run it with two, but you don't really want to be there solid all day) [19:00] Need to eat, etc. [19:00] Make every attempt to contact your LoCo, but if that fails, gather some friends together and do it! [19:00] Thanks a bunch for listening, get out there and Spread Ubuntu :) [19:00] Again, thank you all for coming. You can find us in #ubuntu-california among other places. [19:02] And, next we have chris Gregan with OEM Community Netbook Testing [19:02] Hello All [19:02] howdy [19:02] Can we get a channel topic change? [19:03] i tried [19:03] didn't let me === ChanServ changed the topic of #ubuntu-classroom to: Welcome to Open Week || Session: 1800 UTC: OEM Netbook Testing || https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuOpenWeek || All questions in #ubuntu-classroom-chat [19:03] great [19:03] Excellent! [19:03] Ok [19:03] A little background [19:03] I am the QA Manager for the OEM Services Team in Canonical [19:03] For those of you not familiar [19:03] we customize Ubuntu Desktop [19:04] For release as pre-installed systems on Netbooks and MIDs [19:04] Our recent releases were Dell minis [19:04] and HP mini [19:05] We provide custom interface design and hardware enablement as well as maintenance after the fact for end users [19:05] which brings us to the reason for this session [19:06] I have been organizing an effort to build a community of testers with netbooks to provide a review stage before we push security updates and fixes [19:06] [link] https://launchpad.net/~oem-community-qa [19:06] This is our team page in LP [19:07] The goal is to have more eyes on these proposed fixes before the general public sees them [19:07] So we can continue to maintain a high level of quality as the number of netbooks rapidly expands over the next year [19:08] So...how do we do this [19:08] The team is associated with a mailing list and a proposed repo [19:09] When you join you get the sources.list entries and updates from the list on approaching releases [19:09] Who are we looking for..... [19:10] Anyone with a Dell mini9, 12, or 10 that came with Ubuntu pre-installed [19:10] Anyone with UNR installed on a netbook [19:10] And as the number of shipping units grows, anyone who has one [19:11] The process...once you are joined up is familiar [19:12] Add the proposed repos to your sources.list [19:12] update [19:12] and report problems [19:12]