Raphaël Pinson aka Raphink

I am a 24 year-old French sysadmin, living close to Cannes, on the French Riviera.

How I got to use Ubuntu GNU/Linux

I began to use GNU/Linux in 2002, using YellowDog Linux on an old Macintosh, from time to time, in alternance with MacOS. Then in 2004, I got a PC and installed Mandriva on it, exclusively. I then began to use Linux daily.

My first contact with Ubuntu was in January 2005 with Warty PPC. I was very interested in it, since it was the first Linux OS I could run on a Mac without a single effort, and that was pretty stable and powerful. Somehow I was a bit deceived by the x86 version though, and chose to use Debian Sid on my PC instead. After a time, I began to work on the [https://launchpad.net/products/ichthux Ichthux] project, which is a CDD project aimed to christian users and communities. For the purpose, I had to learn to make Debian packages.

As the author of the Ichthux CDD project, I took part in the Congreso de Software Libre meeting in Valencia, Spain, in May 2005 to work with the custom-debian group on the state and future of CDDs. There I met Mark Shuttleworth and heard about Edubuntu, that he was presenting at this conference, and that interested me a lot because of my interest in teaching and pedagogy.

In October 2005, I tried Ubuntu again, with Edubuntu Breezy Badger, and was amazed by it : all the hardware I had tried hard to configure under Debian sid in vain worked, and I still had the Debian stability and power of use ! After installing Breezy on my computer, I changed my menu.lst and never booted on Sid anymore. I turned my Breezy into a Kubuntu and used it as my main distribution. Soon after, I began to package KDE apps for Dapper and upload them to the REVU system...

Ubuntu machines

Here is the list of the Ubuntu machines I administrate and use as a build farm :

• aslan : my main i386 desktop, running Kubuntu Dapper : Athlon XP 2400+ / 1024 MB RAM / HDA 120 GB / HDB 40 GB

• peter : a powerbook, running Kubuntu Dapper : PowerBook / PPC G4 1GHz / 768 MB RAM / HD 120 GB

• tiber : official canonical machine running the REVU system, running Ubuntu Breezy : Athlon XP 2400+ / 495 MB RAM / HD 115 GB
• palier : i386 desktop, running Kubuntu Breezy : Sempron 2600+ / 512 MB RAM / HD 60 GB
• isa : amd64 desktop, running Kubuntu Breezy i386 : Athlon XP 64 3000+ / 512 MB RAM / HD 120 GB

My vision of the Ubuntu Project

I am convinced that the open-source approach is respectful of the knowledge of humanity, and that this is the way to go on all fields of knowledge. It allows to produce (and even to be paid for it) while not preventing the world from benefiting from what is produced

I am a Debian fan because I believe Debian totally respects the idea of open-source, and is stable and open-source.

I see Ubuntu as the only Debian-based system aimed to improve the desktop Linux approach while still respecting the Debian vision and ideology. I think Ubuntu is a breath of fresh air for the Debian world and for open-source in general.

Why I'm applying as an Ubuntu core-dev

I am currently an active MOTU, particularly in Kubuntu. Lately, I have been focusing on fixing bugs and improving the Kubuntu desktop, working actively with AnthonyMercatante as the Kubuntu French MOTU Team (hehe). This implies working with packages in main, and getting them sponsored for upload afterwards.

In Kubuntu, we have only one active core-dev, JonathanRiddell. He's very helpful (well it's his job, too but I feel it's too much work for him to be uploading our fixes, especially as there are more and more Kubuntu MOTUs and Kubuntu contributors (and no one will complain about that of course :)). Having another core-dev focused on Kubuntu would assure we can fix enough bugs in KDE before Dapper is released and let Jonathan focus on other work. We plan on working on SystemSettings now, which is a big piece of bugfixing, while Jonathan is working actively on Espresso. There are not that many Kubuntu MOTUs but in order to help the current lack of Kubuntu core-devs I would like to apply for core-dev at this time.

I cannot be clearer: the main reason why I'm applying is to unblock uploads to main in Kubuntu, because I want Dapper to rock hard!

My history in Ubuntu

• 16/11/2005 : [http://revu.tauware.de/details.py?upid=935 first package on REVU]

• 04/12/2005 : given reviewing rights on REVU after reviewing package by email
• 10/01/2006 : Ubuntu member
• 16/01/2006 : MOTU
• 01/2006 : REVU admin, svn commit rights on tiber
• 23/02/2006 : Tiber admin
• 12/03/2006 : Ubuntu core-dev

My contributions to Ubuntu

• Packaging
• Merging Debian packages

• Reviewing & sponsoring packages

• Tiber & REVU administration

• REVU-Tools : see [:MOTU/Packages/REVU/REVU-Tools].
• Documentation
• Bug tracking and fixing
• Translations
• IRC : I spend a lot of time on IRC channels on irc.freenode.net, helping users in #ubuntu*, #kubuntu*, devel and motu channels... I administrate #kubuntu-fr and the #ichthux* channels.

• [http://www.ichthux.com Ichthux], a Kubuntu derivative aimed to Christian users and communites, currently included in Ubuntu.

Contact me

• homepage : http://www.raphink.net

• launchpad page : https://launchpad.net/people/raphink

• french forum profile : http://forum.ubuntu-fr.org/profile.php?id=6757

• email : MailTo(raphink AT SPAMFREE raphink DOT net)

• jabber : raphink@jabber.org / raphink@jabber.fr

• irc : raphink on irc.freenode.net

• GPG-Fingerprint : [http://keyserver.ubuntu.com:11371/pks/lookup?op=get&search=0x28AB9C5AF201E32CE21B7864DF0A493B74BF771E 28AB 9C5A F201 E32C E21B 7864 DF0A 493B 74BF 771E]

Related pages: FullSearch()

CategoryHomepage