MyApplication

Revision 23 as of 2010-12-19 08:52:46

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I, Barry Warsaw, apply for core developer rights

I have already been granted upload permission to these packages:

  • Computer Janitor
  • gtimelog (GTimelog Time Tracker)
  • python-lazr.restful
  • python-lazr.restfulclient
  • python-argparse
  • python-virtualenv
  • python-flufl.enum (renamed from munepy)
  • python-flufl.i18n (when sync'd from Debian)

Name

Barry Warsaw

Launchpad Page

http://launchpad.net/~barry

Wiki Page

http://wiki.ubuntu.com/BarryWarsaw

Who I am

I have been developing software professionally since the early 1980's. I did a lot of Emacs development in a previous life, and since 1995 I have been a core Python developer, including serving as release manager for Python 2.6, 3.0 and a few earlier versions. I was once lead maintainer for Jython. Since about 1998, I have been the project leader for GNU Mailman. I have been involved in free software and open source for a long time. I currently work for Canonical on the Ubuntu Platform Foundations team, and before that on the Launchpad team.

My Ubuntu story

I've been an Ubuntu user since 2007, and have been working for Canonical since January 2007. I've been a Linux user since the late 90's and a Unix user since the mid-80's. I run Ubuntu servers for my own domains, and have several Ubuntu machines running on various flavors of laptops, desktops, and VMs. I originally begin using Ubuntu when I got tired of Gentoo for my primary Linux desktops (I'd previously switched to Gentoo around the RedHat 9 days). I've helped friends break the chains of proprietary operating systems by installing Ubuntu for them, and I am a member of the Washington DC LoCo.

I'm keenly interested a wide array of issues relating to Python on Ubuntu. While I'm comfortable in C, C++, Java and other languages, Python is my first and favorite choice. As a long-time core Python developer and new member of the Foundations team, I'm especially focused these days on bridging the gap between upstream Python and its deployment on Ubuntu and Debian. I write lots of Python packages, and am very comfortable fixing bugs and helping to sync many other packages, as seen by the list above.

Areas of work

Natty work

In addition to previous work in packaging and bug fixing mentioned above (PPUs), I have done the following work during the Natty cycle:

I have also served as Patch Pilot for sponsoring, and while I reviewed patches for several packages, I of course could not upload. Getting core developer rights would fix that. :)

I've also done a significant amount of work on upstream Python to make it work better for Ubuntu/Debian, including PEP 3147, PEP 3149, and other build-flag related changes. I've also been actively involved in Ubuntu distributed development.

Previous releases

  • I concentrated primarily on fixing bugs in packages that I gained PPU rights to, as shown above.

Things I could do better

I want to get more of my packages into Debian and sync them to Ubuntu. I want to become a DD, a process I am slowly working on. I'd like to become more generally involved in Ubuntu work outside of Python, but the Python 2.7 transition in Natty is pretty much keeping me consumed for now.

Plans for the future

General

Of course, as part of my job in Foundations, I will be working on many aspects of Ubuntu. Computer Janitor, Update Manager, and Software Center were focuses of mine during Maverick, and for Natty, the Python 2.7 transition is my main focus. I am very interested in Ubuntu Distributed Development (UDD), have written and updated many of the documentation pages, and chair the bi-weekly meetings.

I'm also slowly contributing to pkgme, a framework for making it easy to build Debian packages, especially for well-formed Python packages. I'm also interested in tools like Quickly for helping people who are not well-versed in Ubuntu development to easily and opportunistically contribute.

What I like least in Ubuntu

Sorry, but there seems to be a lot of bureaucracy! Wink ;) For a newcomer, it seems like it's difficult to navigate through this to find the places where you want to participate.

Technologically, Ubuntu is fantastic, and there's very little I don't like. Well, maybe the fact that Claws isn't as well supported email client as it should be. Smile :)


Comments

If you'd like to comment, but are not the applicant or a sponsor, do it here. Don't forget to sign with @SIG@.

Micah Gersten (micahg)

While I think Barry's work is high quality with regard to python, I don't believe that 26 uploads qualifies a person to be a core dev for Ubuntu. I would like to propose a python package set be created and after several more sponsored uploads without (or with minimal) issue, that Barry should be considered for upload rights to that package set. While being a patch pilot for core packages is noble, I believe that should be reserved for people with knowledge of a decent subset of those packages. I believe Barry, being a core dev for python, does have the domain knowledge for python packages, hence my suggestion for the pacakgeset. -- micahg 2010-12-19 08:52:46


Endorsements

As a sponsor, just copy the template below, fill it out and add it to this section.

mvo

General feedback

I worked with Barry during the lucid cycle. His work is high quality even though he is relatively new to packaging.

Specific Experiences of working together

My specific example is computer-janitor. We worked on a big refactor that moved the backend code into a dbus daemon. Both the code and the packaging changes where well done.

ScottKitterman

General feedback

Socially Barry is great to work with and clearly very committed to improving the Ubuntu -Debian Python community relationship (which definitely can use the help). I have reviewed a few packages of Barry's (including a distribute merge) in Ubuntu and sponsored him in Debian. He has a reasonably good grasp of packaging issues and knows when to ask for help. Barry is deeply pythonic and learning Debian/Ubuntu packaging rapidly. I definitely trust him to upload or ask questions if he is unsure.

Specific Experiences of working together

We have collaborated a lot on planning for Python in Maverick/Natty and how to better work with Debian. Barry was also a very valuable contributor to Python policy updates in Debian and moving the Debian/Ubuntu Python stack forward. PEP 3147 will be huge for this. I have always found him very collaborative and willing to try and see both sides of a discussion.

Areas of Improvement

Barry still has some things to learn about Debian packaging, but he is learning them. Within Python packages though, I trust his knowledge is good enough that the lack of upload rights is hindering Ubuntu's progress on the python2.7 transition.


TEMPLATE

== <SPONSORS NAME> ==
=== General feedback ===
## Please fill us in on your shared experience. (How many packages did you sponsor? How would you judge the quality? How would you describe the improvements? Do you trust the applicant?)

=== Specific Experiences of working together ===
''Please add good examples of your work together, but also cases that could have handled better.''
=== Areas of Improvement ===