Information For New Contributors

What is a Mentor

• A mentor will
  • give you pointers to existing documents,
  • ask you to try things out yourself,
  • help you find your way through Ubuntu development,
  • help you solve problems.

• What a Mentor is NOT (unless he/she is willing to do so):

  • your personal reviewer,
  • thinking for you,
  • providing patches or code,
  • your dedicated contact point.

What you should do before asking for a Mentor

• Check out MOTU/GettingStarted

• Add a request to PackagingGuide/Wishlist if you have problems with documentation.

• Sign up for MOTU Mailing list.

Things to consider

• We might be short on mentors. If that's the case, don't be discouraged. The MOTU team will help you. Ask for help in #ubuntu-motu or on ubuntu-motu@lists.ubuntu.com.

• Not having a mentor does not mean you can not help out. MOTU/TODO has a lot of links to things you can help out with.

• As soon as you're well acquainted enough with the MOTU team and processes, please consider to get help from other MOTUs too. That way your mentor's mentoring slot will be free and available for somebody else again.

So you're sure you want somebody to guide you?

E-mail the Mentoring Reception (motu-mentoring-reception@reponses.net) to request a mentor. In your application please include the following:

1. General information about you (name, nickname, age, country, mother-tongue etc.).
2. Information about your technical background, since how long you have been using linux and/or ubuntu, knowledge of programming languages, packaging experience, etc.
3. Your main area of interests, if there is a particular package or group of packages that you are interested in helping out with.
4. Links to your launchpad and wiki pages.
5. If you have already, a list of bugs which you have been working on (please use urls in your list).

Application examples

An example of a good application:

Hello,

my name is Tommy (I'm also known as bugsquasher on #ubuntu-motu).

I'm 22 years old and live in country (but my mother-tongue is esperanto).

I'm a 3rd year Computer Science student, I have a good knowledge of C and a basic knowledge of Python and C++.
I'm particularly interested in everything Desktop related, especially graphical window management.
I'm also very keen in VectorGraphic and Virtualisation.
I have been using Ubuntu since date and have been using Linux since date.
Software I use everyday:
Software I actively contribute on:
Software I wrote and look forward packaging:

My launchpage page is: link and my wiki page is: link

I have been working on the following Ubuntu bugs:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/foo/+bug/123456
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/bar/+bug/789012
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/pippo/+bug/102030

An example of a bad application:

Hi,

I'm looking forward meeting a Mentor, that can help me to
become a better Ubuntu contributor.

Thanks in advance.

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Go back to MOTU/Mentoring.
CategoryMOTU