About Me

Contact

• Email: <david DOT mandala AT SPAMFREE canonical DOT com>
  
  Freenode IRC Nick: davidm
  
  LP: davidm

Background Info

• General all around Computer and Electronics Geek.
  
  Started playing with computers in the early 1970's with an IBM 360 mainframe, then on electronics training and day to day repairing radios and radar devices though out the rest of the 70's. Started playing with microcomputers in 75-76 creating software in ASM and BASIC on the Apple ll, TRS80 and others. In the beginning of the 80's I formed a computer consulting company that developed Interactive Laserdisk applications -- Stuff that later became known as Interactive Multimedia. Lots of fun that, did over 200 of them over the years, mostly in "C" with some ASM device drivers. CP/M, MS-DOS only no MS-Windows.
  
  

  Started playing with Linux in the mid 90's and co-founded BALUG (Bay Area Linux Users Group) with David Sifry and Art Tyde. Worked for Linuxcare back then before it got crazy. Moved on to Arizona to work at DevelopOnline where we used Linux as a back end to enabling remote access to embedded hardware, kind of fun but then came along the dark days of 911. Following that cash ran out, no financing to be had, so the company closed and I went on to play in the embedded Linux space creating devices that tracked School Buses, and also functioned as remote connect DVR's on-board the buses.
  
  

  I switched to Ubuntu Linux from Debian in the Breezy/Dapper time frame and shortly thereafter switched all of my X86 machines to it, then I switched my wife to it and then installed it for 10 friends and more indirectly as I've made recommendations to remote friends and they have installed Ubuntu too. Additionally I've switched at least one commercial company to using Ubuntu as the base of their embedded products, though I'm under an NDA about that.
  
  

  I enjoyed using Ubuntu so much that when as luck would have it Canonical had an opening for a manager of the mobile team I applied. So with some interviews and time I began working for Canonical in Sept 2007 still working on Linux, somewhere between embedded and Netbooks space. Working on the Ubuntu UMPC and MID variant of Ubuntu is fun, it's hard to get better then this, the cutting edge, Mobile Internet Devices, and other things in the small device arena. I happen to think that this area is going to explode with devices given some time.
  
  

  Currently working on a telepresence robot that will be remote controllable and of course running Linux. It's based on an iRobot Create™ base unit, an ARM920T Nail Kit (which is a hammer board on a small expansion carrier for sensing) and some type of small PC for video conferencing. The video conferencing PC will of course run Ubunutu.

Contributions

• Manager of the Ubuntu Mobile team and project manager of the Ubuntu Mobile and MID Projects. See: http://www.ubuntu.com/products/mobile.

• Track Lead, Mobile Track UDS Hardy Heron 2007

• Wrote the initial PO to XPI "C" converter program and bash scripts for the Ubuntu Mozilla team that Alexander Sack checked in. See: PO2XPI

• Reworked the Ubuntu Mobile Team and Project wiki pages to reflect the new team name and to start the process of making it easier to find information about the mobile project.

• Track Lead, Mobile Track UDS Intrepid Ibex 2008

• Member Dallas/Ft Worth, TX, USA Local Community Team.

• Was a driver behind getting the Ubuntu MID image released with the rest of the Ubuntu 8.10 release.

• Worked directly with the release team management the last four days before 8.10. Lots of the normal pre-release stress. Changes, new images, testing, etc. But we got through it and 8.10 is now out. Ran some test cases of Kubuntu Desktop i386 Install (OEM setup) and Install (entire disk).

• Worked for some months now to bring the Ubuntu ARM port to fruition, see the UMPC Portal and ARM press releases. It's real and it's what I've not been able to talk about for the last 6 months. We will be adding pages to this wiki, for now the LaunchPad build system is crunching through source packages. A couple of hundred down, 8K to go

• Track Lead, Mobile Track UDS Jaunty Jackalope 2008

• Merged oprofile

• Filed two Debian bugs as a result of the oprofile merge.

• Provided a half hour presentation at the Jaunty Jackalope UDS on the process of troubleshooting (otherwise known as debugging). I've provided the contents of the presentation here: Troubleshooting Process and the Seven Step TroubleShooting Process that I prefer here.

LaunchPad Teams

• Core Developers for ubuntu mobile
• Ubuntu Dallas
• Ubuntu Drivers
• Ubuntu Mobile QA
• Ubuntu Mobile Team
• UDS Organizers

Trade Shows

• Speaker at CELF Embedded Linux Conference 2008 talking about Ubuntu MID release.

• Attended Ottawa Linux Symposium and talked about Ubuntu Mobile and MID in several BOF's.

• Attended and Worked the OSiM World Conference and Exhibition in Berlin Germany. Talked with developers and others about Ubuntu Mobile.

• Attended Maemo Summit 2008 and talked with developers about Ubuntu Mobile.

• Speaker at linux.conf.au Miniconf to talk about Ubuntu Mobile.

Package License Review

I will be reviewing the following packages to verify the license and copyright files:

• Package	Status	Comments
  dbus	In progress	New to review latest packages for changes submitted upstream, if no major changes new copyright file ready, need to make patch
  aptitude	In Progress	License data reviewed, new copyright ready, need to make patch
  bluez-utils	In Progress	License data harvested, in review, building new copyright file

Future Plans For Ubuntu

• Improve Ubuntu Mobile for Mobile (Netbook) and MID (Mobile Internet Devices) use.
• Continue building the Ubuntu Mobile Team and Ubuntu Mobile Community.
• Improve package license information so it accurately represents the source code in the package and so it can be machine read, making it easier to audit what licenses are in use.
• Work on submitting changes into Ubuntu and Debian that should be. Currently there are packages in need of license cleanups that I am working on.

Testimonials

JoeyStanford: I've worked with David since he's joined Canonical. He's made, with his team, great strides in the mobile platform of Ubuntu. He's also a geek which a somewhat rare quality in an experienced project manager. He's very Ubuntu focused and continues to drive his efforts, and those of this team, towards the Ubuntu goals. I wholeheartedly recommend him for Ubuntu membership.

ColinWatson: I served as David's mentor when he joined Canonical last year. He took to it like a duck to water and really didn't need to ask me all that much; he's a tremendously smart, articulate, and friendly guy, and I'm sure I learned at least as much from him as he did from me. He clearly loves working on the Ubuntu mobile project and puts his heart and soul into it. The mobile project is much stronger for his attention to it, and the other team leads in Canonical's Ubuntu team have gained a lot from his experience as well. I have no hesitation in recommending him for Ubuntu membership, and not a moment too soon.

JonoBacon: I have worked closely with David, largely on community best practise. He is a witty, committed, focused and intelligent guy, and I have always seen him have the community's best interests at heart. His work on Ubuntu mobile has been excellent, he has a familiarity and keenness around MOTU, and he is always keen to learn what to do best for his team and the community in general. I wholeheartedly support his application for membership.

TedGould: David cares about Open Source and about making Ubuntu a great platform to deliver Open Source to people. And about make Ubuntu run on some of the hardware that you'd never guess it could. I was strongly considering buying him a toaster for Christmas so that I could run VIM on it. I strongly recommend making David an Ubuntu member as he is already an excellent representative of the Ubuntu Community.

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