Ubuntu Wiki

About Me

My name is Matthew (Matt) Fischer and I've been a Linux user for about 15 years now. I've used Slackware (installed from floppies), Red Hat, Debian, and became an Ubuntu convert about 4 years ago, using it at work and home.

My personal philosophy is: if you see a problem, report it, if you know the solution, post it, if you can solve the problem, patch it (or merge it). This is reflected in my contributions and my blog, in which I strive to post knowledge that is not easily Googleable.

Contact Information

Contributions

On My Own Time

• New to Debian/Ubuntu

  • unyaffs

  • dateutils (not yet in Ubuntu)

• Merges and Fixes:
  • updates for Q:

    • xfonts-mathml: #1054353

    • owncloud-client: #1053449

    • Worked with Robert Ancell to do some gnome 3.6 updates (his name is on all these changelogs):

      • gnome-sushi

      • gnome-icon-theme

      • gnome-icon-theme-symbolic

      • gnome-keyring

      • libgnome-keyring

  • updates for R:

    • tiff3: #1065637

    • gcalctool: #1075834

    • sonic: #1057272

  • updates for S:

    • cracklib2: #1088110

    • os-prober: #1178072

    • popcon: #1177174

    • dbus-python (sync request after validation): /#1178875

    • distribute #1180642

    • gnome 3.8 updates for S

      • simple-scan #1181896

      • baobab #1181921

      • brasero #1184409

      • yelp #1184244

      • yelp-xsl #1184250

      • gnome-user-docs #1184461

    • cracklib2 (sync request after validation): #1185252

    • mousetweaks #1200471

    • manpages #1179064

• Bug Fixing

  • Worked assorted bugs in gnome-nettools (#841007, #806606, #891852, #389153). Fix sent upstream and accepted, will be merged back in Precise. Also fixed #661753 in oneiric (patch doesn't make sense upstream).

  • Patched an indicator-weather issue #928596

  • Triaged and patched a simple unity issue #932212

  • Worked/working some lightdm issues:

    • A simple lightdm bug to fix a call to g_open #999718

    • Another issue with making calls to clearenv() more portable. #999714

    • A portability issue with setresgid/setresuid #999713.

    • Fixed the build issue with gcc4.7.0 (quantal): #999884

    • Tested and merge proposed the fix for #920150

    • Fixed the apport script and added it to the package #1067587

    • Ownership issues with /var/log/lightdm #1055783 & #887316

    • Missing manpage and lightdm-set-defaults should be in /usr/bin #1044485

    • Triaged/invalidated/duped many other issues.
  • Worked/working some unity-greeter issues:

    • Fixing an issue where the onscreen keyboard will not reload #973922

    • Triaged/invalidated/duped many other issues.

  • For the Ubuntu Global Jam fixed ftbfs for live-manual That fix lead to working on a fix for python-djvulibre.

• Unity Scopes/Lenses

  • Wrote a Stock Ticker scope & lens (code). Along the way I fixed some issues with the locoteams scope and lens. I also helped package the Cooking lens.

• Ubuntu Accomplishments
  • I am a core developer for Ubuntu Accomplishments, mainly I'm working on the Daemon and the Accomplishments scripts. I also did the packaging for Ubuntu Accomplishments, helped setup build recipes, and fixed dependency packaging issues. I also wrote some accomplishments.

  • Releases: Rel 0.1 and Rel 0.2 and Rel 0.3

• Bug Control and Triage
  • Joined the Ubuntu Bug Squad and worked on helping to triage bugs.
  • Joined Ubuntu Bug Control.

  • Adopted gnome-nettool for Bug triage (although it's pretty quiet now)

At My Day Job

As a part of my former job at Canonical, I worked with OEMs to get Ubuntu pre-installed on as many systems as possible. This includes doing packaging, fixing bugs, system testing, pretty much everything you need to ship a new system besides writing drivers. This job requires the ability to bounce between different projects on a daily basis, and this generalism carries over to my community contributions as well!

One recent project was the Vodafone Webbook project, an ARM netbook running Unity-2D.

I spent most of the spring 2012 working on the Ubuntu Remote Login feature, including PAM modules for authentication & unit tests and the Unity Greeter work, mainly the JSON parsing and remote client selection.

In August 2012, I worked on enhancements to Checkbox and oem-config to improve automation.

In the fall of 2012, I worked on the Ubuntu desktop image for the Nexus7 doing bug fixes and triage, having worked on the team that built the initial image prior to UDS.

In 2013, I worked on Ubuntu for Android and Ubuntu Touch.

I currently work on Openstack at Time Warner Cable.

Future Goals

My long term goal is to keep contributing to the Ubuntu community and to become an Ubuntu Developer and MOTU [DONE].

Testimonials

If you know me and have something nice to say, please leave a comment here.

• Very much appreciate Matt being persistent on raising up bug 468778 for investigation, and politely following up. We either have a knowledge gap going on somewhere (and some documentation is needed) or there is something that needs to be fixed. Problems that fall between established team gaps are real, and people who are willing to dig in and help get them resolved are rare. - KateStewart

• Matt has done an awesome job helping with the Ubuntu Accomplishments project. He has helped with packaging and contributed some accomplishments himself. He has always been a pleasure to work with, responsive, and performs great work. I would happily +1 him as an Ubuntu Member. -- JonoBacon

• I have been continously impressed by Matt's ability to do community work in conjunction with his Canonical work. He is an excellent developer, and is always willing to help out anybody who asks in a timely manner. He has put in an enormous amount of effort into his community work, and it shows. --ChrisWayne

• I have worked with Matt on updating packaging and he has a strong understanding of packaging and is careful when updating. He would make a good MOTU. -- RobertAncell

• Matt, thanks for helping me with the transcode build issue. I appreciate you offering to build the package for me with my suggested change since I didn't have a build environment setup. - JaredGreenwald