Participation in the Laptop Testing program is bound by the following conditions. Each selected participant must agree to these conditions prior to being supplied with a laptop.
- Laptops will be sent to an address provided by the tester. A full mailing address and phone number must be provided.
- On receipt, testers should record the serial number and send it to Canonical, and then ensure that the machine boots the installed operating system correctly. Canonical should be informed immediately if boot fails, or if the machine is physically damaged.
- When installing Ubuntu, it is important that Windows is left installed as well. This may be necessary for debugging purposes.
The tester should then install the current stable release (Hoary Hedgehog) and perform the tests indicated in the LaptopSupportSpec. Results should be recorded in a format to be supplied and submitted.
- The tester should then install the current development snapshot and perform the laptop support checklist. Results should be recorded and submitted. This should be repeated for each development snapshot released, the preview release, the release candidate and the final release.
- Feedback will normally be expected within 2 days of a release, though obviously this may not always be possible.
- Based on feedback, testers will be expected to assist in back and forth debugging of any issues found. This may involve installation of debugging packages and reporting on their behaviour. Testers should make reasonable efforts to debug problems themselves, but will not be obliged to find solutions.
- The tester agrees to participate in the testing process for 3 Ubuntu releases. After that time, the tester will have no further obligations and may retain the laptop. However, submission of results would continue to be useful.
- In the event of inadequate feedback or failure to provide feedback in a timely manner, Canonical reserve the right to reclaim the provided hardware. Laptops will remain the property of Canonical until the agreed testing is complete, at which point they will be transferred to the testers.