UniverseContributorApplication

I, Chow Loong Jin, apply for universe-contributor.

Name

Chow Loong Jin

Launchpad Page

https://launchpad.net/~hyperair

Wiki Page

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/hyperair

Who I am

I am a Malaysian studying Computer Engineering in Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. I have just completed my first year and will be beginning my second year of study in Nanyang Technological University come August 2009.

My Ubuntu story

My involvement

For several months, I helped out at ubuntuforums.org regarding issues to do with Xorg, as I had my own fair share of it when I first started off. Then, being a little frustrated with the lack of new packages at that time, I begun digging around some existing Ubuntu packages, and used those to create new upstream releases. Eventually, I did one such package for Banshee 0.98.1 and posted it on ubuntuforums.org. At that point, Jorge Castro and Sebastian Dröge invited me to join the Banshee Team to start maintaining a PPA for updated Banshee packages, and I got into Ubuntu packaging more seriously.

When I found out about REVU, I began using it to introduce some new packages into Ubuntu, and eventually attempted to get BansheeLyricsPlugin into Ubuntu via that method. While I was searching for a sponsor, IainLane invited me to join the pkg-cli-apps team for Debian. Since then, I've attempted to get some new packages into Debian as well, which have previously gotten into Ubuntu via REVU, as well as become the co-maintainer of Banshee in Debian, as well as several other Banshee-related packages.

I've also joined the Ubuntu-SG loco team, and am currently maintaining an archive and releases mirror for Ubuntu (http://ntuoss1.uni.cx/ubuntu and http://sg.releases.ubuntu.com).

Examples of my work / Things I'm proud of

Package contributions:

Bug fixes:

  • LP #248705 Evolution Exchange does not authenticate to Exchange servers with a relative path in the form action, e.g. "owaauth.dll"

  • LP #263779 (gnome-settings-daemon) Evince hijacks global multimedia keys

  • LP #202089 Pulseaudio is blocking normal sound after resume

  • Debian BTS #500329 dh_clideps: false positive complaining about the cli-common-dev dependency not being there

Areas of work

I generally focus my contributions on package maintenance, as well as the introduction of new packages, particularly GUI applications, and any other piece of software I am interested in. I attempt to fix bugs that affect me and are within my capability, such as those regarding pm-utils, as well as bugs of the packages I maintain. A list of packages I have introduced and/or am maintaining in Debian and Ubuntu can be found in Launchpad and Debian QA.

I also maintain PPAs containing backported new upstream releases of software to stable releases of Ubuntu. Among them are:

Things I could do better

I usually do what I can do on my own, without really considering what other (greater) things could be done by collaborating with others. In the future, I hope to change this.

Plans for the future

General

I hope to continue what I've been doing so far, eventually become a MOTU, and help with REVU and sponsoring requests.

What I like least in Ubuntu

update-notifier disappearing and update-manager popping up on its own, but I can't think of anything besides going back to the old behaviour where update-notifier showed an icon in the notification area.


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@.

Loong Jin's work with Banshee has been a template for how to work with an upstream. He's in their IRC channel and mailing list supporting our users and being responsive to upstream needs with the packaging. -- jorge 2009-05-07 18:28:54


Endorsements

Morten Kjeldgaard (mok0)

General feedback

I have worked a lot with Loong Jin (hyperair) during the jaunty cycle and sponsored most of his contributions through REVU: the geany plugin packages, banshee, and codelite. These packages have all been of high quality, and hyperair has been quick to address any comments that have come along. He has also shown to be a quick learner, where experiences and lessons learned from one package has been employed in the next. Loong Jin has actively maintained the packages that were sponsored via REVU, he made sure to fix various FTBFS problems arising when the package is built for the various architectures, he has maintained an active and constructive dialogue with upstream authors, forwarded patches, asked for sponsorship of new versions etc. All in all, Loong Jin has been a very responsible, active and constructive contributor to Ubuntu!

Furthermore, Loong Jin has a prominent presence on IRC, where he with his great knowledge about software development and packaging has helped others, in a friendly and easygoing way.

I fully trust Loong Jin's work, I fully endorse this application and I urge him to pursue the MOTU path soon.

IainLane (Laney)

I had originally written a much longer version but my Firefox crashed and wiped it out. Summary: +1

General feedback

Loong Jin was a very active contributor in the Jaunty cycle. I saw him create and have uploaded many new packages, which I trust will find their rightful way back to Debian soon. One day I saw him asking for reviews for a Banshee plugin on IRC. This was my chance to pounce! I know that there is an oasis of calm where such packages are free to frolic with their peers and drink sangria. CLI packages are destined to be here; for them there is no happier place. This place is called #debian-mono and the pkg-cli-apps team. Loong Jin dutifully led his package by the hand over to this promised land and was not disappointed. I do hope that he has been converted to the side of light by this experience. (summary: Debian packaging teams rule)

Loong Jin also helps me slay the git dragons whenever I am confronted with them, using his intimate knowledge of the anatomy of the beast.

Upstreams love him too, for hanging around and not being afraid to comment in their IRC channels.

Last, but by no means least, he stepped up to the plate, squared his shoulders and hit the ball out of the park on this one. A package was created that was so beautiful it moved me to tears. This package was called gdata-sharp. It will allow us to drop the bundled copy in GNOME Do, and to enable the Google plugins without fear. All it took was a passing comment and he rose to the challenge. A true fearless warrior we have here.

Specific Experiences of working together

  • I sponsored a flawless Banshee merge
  • General stuff to do with gdata-sharp

Areas of Improvement

Get packages straight into Debian

Maia Kozheva (sikon)

General feedback

I didn't have experience with Loong Jin before the karmic cycle, but when I was asked on IRC to review his REVU packages geanydoc and geany-plugin-spellcheck, I was immediately struck by their quality and cleanliness. After advocating both of them (after some very minor complaints), I went to his Launchpad page to check his other contributions, and was surprised to see a long-term active contributor who had made a number of other quality packages but wasn't yet an Ubuntu member. So I suggested him to apply for universe-contributors.

I'll keep an eye on him, and I hope to see him in MOTU ranks soon.

Jorge Castro

Specific Experiences of working together

Has been a good bridge between Banshee upstream and Ubuntu.

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.''
=== Areas of Improvement ===


CategoryUniverseContributorApplication

hyperair/UniverseContributorApplication (last edited 2009-06-09 13:52:15 by c-68-40-250-14)