Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Kubuntu & KDEContributing to an International Software Project

Juan Carlos G. Torres

August 23, 2008

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 1/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Experiences

3 Challenges

4 Tips & Suggestions

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 2/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Experiences

3 Challenges

4 Tips & Suggestions

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 3/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Who am I?My resume

Juan Carlos Torres

Jucato, pronounced as Dew-ka-to... not related toMountain Dew

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 4/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Who am I?I am more known as...

... the KDE guy

(”lolcat” made by jsgotangco)

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 5/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Who am I?My resume continued...

Juan Carlos Torres

Jucato, pronounced as Dew-ka-to... not related toMountain Dew

Linux user of 2 years

class KubuntuMember : public UbuntuMember

Kubuntu & KDE contributor

KDE Community Working Group member

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 6/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TopicsWhat am I going to babble about

Personal experiences contributing to Kubuntu and KDE

Challenges most budding contributors face

Tips and suggestions to survive in FOSS

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 7/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Experiences

3 Challenges

4 Tips & Suggestions

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 8/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ExperiencesMy GNU/Linux-Kubuntu-KDE story

A short timeline...

Started using GNU/Linux (January ’06)

Ubuntuforums/KubuntuForums.Net (April ’06)

Ubuntu Classroom Project (August ’06)

Kubuntu Member (January ’07)

KDE Community Working Group (August ’08)

What I’ve done so far

User support in forums and IRC

Guides and Documentation

Packaging (barely...)

Patches

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 9/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ExperiencesMy GNU/Linux-Kubuntu-KDE story

A short timeline...

Started using GNU/Linux (January ’06)

Ubuntuforums/KubuntuForums.Net (April ’06)

Ubuntu Classroom Project (August ’06)

Kubuntu Member (January ’07)

KDE Community Working Group (August ’08)

What I’ve done so far

User support in forums and IRC

Guides and Documentation

Packaging (barely...)

Patches

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 9/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Experiences

3 Challenges

4 Tips & Suggestions

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 10/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesWhat aspiring helpers face

Getting Started

Where do I start?

I am not a programmer

Time

Diversity

Language

Cultures

Personalities

Timezones

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 11/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesVery minor details

Other problems

Technical Knowledge

It’s Addictive

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 12/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

ChallengesVery minor details

Other problems

Technical Knowledge

It’s Addictive

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 12/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

Outline

1 Introduction

2 Experiences

3 Challenges

4 Tips & Suggestions

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 13/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsHow to get started

Prepare yourself

Commitment

Be Open

Grow a skin

Start from the beginning

Ask!

Start with what you have

Learn

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 14/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsThe things that you can do

Areas of contribution

Coding (C, C++, Python, BASH, GTK+, Qt)

Packaging (Deb, RPM)

Documentation (official, wikis, guides)

l10n (”localization”, translations)

Artwork

Bug Triage

User Support

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 15/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

TipsThe most important tip of all

Have Fun

Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 16/17

Introduction Experiences Challenges Tips & Suggestions

The End

Thank you!

Juan Carlos ”Jucato” Torresjucato@kubuntu.org

Questions ?Juan Carlos G. Torres — Kubuntu & KDE 17/17