I, Erich Eickmeyer, apply for upload rights for the following packages:

• Ubuntu Studio Packageset

  • This was supposed to be defined as a more "narrow" package set than is currently defined.
  • Especially with some huge changes on the horizon for Ubuntu Studio, I'm more than happy to assist with the packageset definition.

In lieu of the packageset:

• dpf-plugins

• lsp-plugins

• ubuntustudio-menu-add

• raysession

• ardour

• hydrogen

• materia-gtk-theme

I am applying because:

• I'd like to eliminate delays in getting my work sponsored.
• I'd like to reduce the burden on my sponsors.
• I'd like to keep certain projects up-to-date.

Who I am

I'm a multimedia professional who worked as an Audio/Video/Lighting engineer with some photography on the side. As you can imagine, Ubuntu Studio is my flavor of choice.

My Ubuntu story

My contributions to Ubuntu Studio started in March of 2018 when Set Hallstrom and Ross Gammon put out a call to form a council in order to sustain Ubuntu Studio, which had received very little, if any, attention since 2016. I came onboard and ran the meetings and presented ideas to enhance the flavor, which led to a renaissance and revitalization for the flavor that is apparent in the work that went into 18.10, the retheming that went into 19.04, and the software that has been added to 19.10 and the upcoming 20.04 LTS. I have also provided direction and ideas for the flavor to move forward.

I would like to continue to get better and better at packaging, and I'm finally falling into the workflow.

My involvement

My Sponsors

Examples of my work / Things I'm proud of

• carla - Packaged Carla, originally from the KXStudio project, with help from the upstream developer.

• grub2-themes-ubuntustudio - Forked Ubuntu MATE's grub theme into a bootloader theme for Ubuntu Studio.

• ubuntustudio-controls - Helped with bugfixes and the vision for this utility.

• ubuntustudio-default-settings - Added metapackages for adding certain settings to other Ubuntu flavors to benefit from Ubuntu Studio.

• ubuntustudio-icon-theme - Changed the icon theme to base from Papirus in an effort to modernize the Ubuntu Studio theme.

• ubuntustudio-installer - Together with Len Ovens, added additional functionality to make it a tool to use on flavors other than Ubuntu Studio for the purpose of adding Ubuntu Studio as a toolkit to other official flavors.

• ubuntustudio-look - Modernized Ubuntu Studio's default theme to be Materia, eliminating the need to maintain the Numix Blue theme, reducing workload on the Ubuntu Studio team. Also added custom wallpaper for the Disco release.

• ubuntustudio-menu - Fixed some installed applications that weren't showing, promoted Ubuntu Studio Controls to an area of prominence.

• lsp-plugins - Added 91 audio plugins to Ubuntu for Ubuntu Studio with this project

• dpf-plugins - Added several audio plugins from the KXStudio project to Ubuntu Studio

• ubuntustudio-menu-add - Len Ovens created this minimal menu editor to respect XDG compliance, I helped with the packaging

• raysession - Found an audio session handler to replace the LADI tools and LADI Session Handler (a dead project)

• ardour - With the help of the upstream Ardour developers, was able to upgrade the waf source used and patch the wscripts to build using python 3.

• avldrums.lv2 - Added a drum synthesizer plugin

• hydrogen - Upgraded existing package to Qt5 version (1.0.0-beta2)

• materia-gtk-theme - worked with developer to get theme compatible with Ubiquity installer

Areas of work

Let us know what you worked on, with which development teams / developers with whom you cooperated and how it worked out.

• Ubuntu Studio - worked with Len Ovens (OvenWerks), Ross Gammon (Rosco2), Eylul Dogruel (eylul), Krytarik Raido (krytarik/kryten/krycek), Thomas Ward (teward). Good team overall, has common vision for success.

• Carla - worked with the upstream developer, Filipe Caleho (FalkTX) on getting Carla packaged and uploaded to Ubuntu.

• Calf - worked with the upstream developers of Calf Studio Plugins, Mathieu Trudel (cyphermox), and Rosco2, to get Calf packaged and updated in upstream Debian which came downstream to Ubuntu.

• lsp-plugins - Worked with the upstream developer to get 91 audio plugins included in Ubuntu and its installation standardized (files where they belong).

• dpf-plugins - Packaged even more audio plugins

• raysession - Packaged a replacement for the outdated LADI Session Handler included in Ubuntu Studio for many years, now unmaintained and suffering from bitrot.

• ardour - With the help of the upstream Ardour developers, was able to upgrade the waf source used and patch the wscripts to build using python 3.

• hydrogen - With the help of Rik Mills, was able to get hydrogen upgraded to 1.0.0-beta2 in an effort to eliminate Qt4 from the archive

Things I could do better

• Catching copyrights in code for inclusion in debian/copyright
• Understanding some obscure Lintian warnings/errors and how to fix them

Plans for the future

General

• Continue in involvement in Ubuntu Studio
• Eventually apply for MOTU status, possibly even Core Developer status. These are long-term goals.

What I like least in Ubuntu

• I love Ubuntu and Ubuntu Studio! However, getting new packages sponsored was a pain before Thomas Ward joined the team, especially if attempting to get packages sponsored upstream in Debian. In Debian, even if getting a sponsor lined-up, it has been nearly impossible to get said sponsor(s) to do their part. This has been marginally better in Ubuntu, but with 127 listed MOTUs (as of this writing), it seems as though the vast majority aren't doing their part in the team and/or aren't participating. Additionally, Archive Admins seem to need constant nagging instead of simply following their queue to get new packages in the archive.

Testimonials

Thomas Ward

General feedback

I have sponsored numerous uploads for Erich in assistance to the Ubuntu Studio team. There are a number of NEW packages that I have sponsored uploads for as well as fixes to packages and updates that I filed as well. Overall the quality of the packages has been very high, though there have been numerous cases where things have needed modified slightly. Overall, however, things have been of very high quality and able to be added to Ubuntu without issue. A majority of the uploads I sponsored have been upgrade tasks, but some have been NEW packages.

I fully support Erich, who is driving the Ubuntu Studio project and keeping it going and alive, in having upload rights to the ubuntustudio packageset.

Specific Experiences of working together

Please add good examples of your work together, but also cases that could have handled better.

All cases of sponsored uploads can be seen here: https://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/ubuntu-sponsorships.cgi?render=html&sponsor=Thomas+Ward&sponsor_search=name&sponsoree=Erich+Eickmeyer&sponsoree_search=name

I was added as a member of the Studio Dev team in order to help facilitate their uploads and getting things available for their software thanks to my Core Dev status. I rigorously check every upload they want to make before sponsoring it, usually only noticing minor little things that overall are easy quick fixes.

All of the times we've worked together have been very good and with little flak on either side. Overall, the only times there can be tension is when things aren't properly uploaded or are broken, but they're not related to the quality of the packaging work.

Areas of Improvement

It should be noted that, while overall Erich is quite good at checking Lintian cleanliness and copyright compliance, there are a lot of times where Erich has mistyped a copyright line or specified an incorrect license in the debian/copyright fields. Overall, however, Erich has improved greatly on that front, and this minor issue should not block the having access to the packageset or the packages they requested upload rights for.

Ross Gammon

General feedback

I have only sponsored one upload for Erich for Ubuntu Studio. However, as the only other member of the Ubuntu Studio package set, I have been watching his work from the sidelines, and feel qualified to add an extra endorsement on top of Thomas Ward who has taken the sponsorship load. Erich's packaging skills have come along in leaps and bounds since the crisis last year when it became widely known that Ubuntu Studio had no dedicated uploaders. I believe Erich is ready for unsupervised upload rights for the Ubuntu Studio package set.

It will be great for Ubuntu Studio to have two uploaders on the package set, and I look forward to the day when we are both sponsoring other people's uploads of Ubuntu Studio packages and expanding the team.

Specific Experiences of working together

#Please add good examples of your work together, but also cases that could have handled better.

My one case of sponsorship can be seen here: https://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/ubuntu-sponsorships.cgi?render=html&sponsor=Ross+Gammon&sponsor_search=name&sponsoree=Erich+Eickmeyer&sponsoree_search=name

Most of our work together has been on the Ubuntu Studio mailing lists, or in discussions on bugs in launchpad, which are the main places I hang out when working on Ubuntu.

Erich has been a breath of air since taking over responsibility for leading the Ubuntu Studio Team. He has had to take some difficult decisions, and is a very easy person to work with. He is not a "fire and forget" guy and follows up after uploads, and works very well with upstream projects.

Areas of Improvement

I would like to see Erich uploading packages that are not specific to Ubuntu Studio in the Debian Multimedia Team for the benefit of the wider Debian derivatives ecosystem. This is not his fault, as he has for an obvious reason (this PPU application) concentrated on Ubuntu Studio packages in Ubuntu. Just ping me on the Debian Multimedia Mailing List when you have something ready for sponsorship there Erich!

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@.

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.''
## Full list of sponsored packages can be generated here:
##  https://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/ubuntu-sponsorships.cgi
=== Areas of Improvement ===

CategoryPerPackageUploaderApplication