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'''wxl''' [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:English_pronunciation|/ˈwɪk.sɪl/]] ''n.''

{{https://launchpadlibrarian.net/188802625/lpmugshot.png | my ugly mug | align=left}}
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|| {{https://launchpad.net/@@/person}} Name || ~+'''Walter Lapchynski'''+~ ||
|| {*} Wiki || [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/wxl|wxl]] ||
|| {{https://launchpad.net/@@/mail}} Email || carsrcoffins23 at yahoo dot com ||
|| {{https://launchpad.net/favicon.ico}} Launchpad || [[https://launchpad.net/~wxl23|wxl23]] ||
|| {{https://launchpad.net/@@/language}} IRC ||wxl on IRC.freenode.net and elsewhere||
|| {{https://launchpadlibrarian.net/7171615/ubuntulogo_s.png}} Forums || [[http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=948925|wxl]] ||
|| {i} Homepage || [[http://wxl.freeshell.org|wxl.freeshell.org]] ||
|| {{http://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wp-useragent/trunk/img/16/os/lubuntu-1.png}} Derivative || [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu|Lubuntu]] ||
|| Contributions || {1} Lubuntu Release Manager (et cetera)<<BR>> {2} Oregon LoCo Team Leader<<BR>> {3} PPC Point Of Contact ||

== About Me (and my relationship with Ubuntu) ==
I'm a lifelong geek, having delved deeply into the many intricacies of my first computer, a Commodore 128, at 8 years old. I taught myself how to program BASIC immediately. Eventually, armed with a little experience from the CP/M mode (read: PC emulation) on said computer, I upgraded to MS-DOS on a new PC.

As a pre-teen, I made good use out of my 1200 baud modem, calling all over Ohio, much to the chagrin of my father. Soon I found the Cleveland FreeNet, the first free network, and with it discovered gopher, telnet, ftp, IRC, and ultimately, FreeBSD.

Meanwhile I kept loading up Windows on to my PC for those rare cases I might need it. I lived in the shell. One day, after upgrading to Windows 95, I typed some normal command, and was faced with "wrong version." The VER command revealed that Windows had truly taken over DOS. At that point, our relationship was over.

So began a long search for a new love. After a positive experience with Red Hat on a work computer, I installed Slackware on a ThinkPad which was wrought with difficulty, but I made it work, until the hard drive failed. At the time, replacing hardware on a desktop was fine and dandy with me, but I wasn't comfortable opening up a laptop, so I gave it away.

Since I was in college (for a degree in biology), I got a great discount on an Apple PowerBook G4 PPC (New World) I couldn't pass up. For a while, I had quite the love affair with OS X, but the more I used it, the more I found myself in Terminal and the more I did, the more I longed for a UNIX-like experience that wasn't quite so proprietary and funky. I was exploring various and sundry areas of networking and wanted a platform that would require less effort to get things done. Meanwhile I cut my teeth upgrading hardware, getting over that fear of repairing smaller-scale hardware. I even did some repairs on a tiny Palm Pre phone.

After being blown away by the state of Ubuntu, but not entirely liking its bloat, I kept searching. Xubuntu was good but not enough, though I did find myself liking XFCE. I went through all sorts of things, including a rather good long run with Arch (mainly from the XFCE connection though I like their "keep it simple" philosophy).

Finally Lubuntu came out with a PPC release. I got it going on the PowerBook and loved it. When I again got a hold of a ThinkPad that needed a little hardware help, I immediately loaded it up with Lubuntu. I also have a PowerBook G3 PPC (Old World) that has proven quite challenging to get anything on easily. It will eventually be Lubuntized. Every machine in the house (and there are many, including a little mini-ITX server and a Raspberry Pi) has some Debian-based distro on it, mostly Lubuntu.

I guess at my core, I'm a hacker: always tinkering, trying to figure out what various pieces do, experimenting. Linux is, for sure, the perfect platform for me.
|| '''N~-AME-~''' || ~+'''Walter Lapchynski'''+~ ||
|| '''L~-OCATION-~''' || Eugene, Oregon, United States ||
|| '''T~-IME-~ Z~-ONE-~''' || [[ https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/usa/eugene | Pacific Time (UTC-7/8) ]] ||
|| '''P~-GP-~''' || [[https://keybase.io/wxl|C563 CAC5 8BE1 2F22 A49D 68F6 8B57 A48B C4F2 051A ]] ||
|| '''L~-AUNCHPAD-~''' || [[https://launchpad.net/~wxl|wxl]] ||
|| '''W~-IKI-~''' || [[wxl]] ||
|| '''E~-MAIL-~''' || <<MailTo(wxl AT ubuntu DOT com, "wxl")>> ||
|| '''I~-RC-~''' || wxl ||
|| '''W~-EB-~''' || [[http://polka.bike|polka.bike]] ||
|| '''F~-LAVORS-~''' || [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu|{{https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wp-useragent/trunk/img/16/os/lubuntu-2.png}}]] [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kubuntu|{{https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/wp-useragent/trunk/img/16/os/kubuntu-2.png}}]] ||
|| '''R~-OLES-~''' || {*} Lubuntu Head of QA (2014-)<<BR>> {*} Oregon !LoCo Team Leader (2014-)<<BR>> {*} Ubuntu Membership Board (2015-)<<BR>> {*} !LoCo Council member (2015-) ||

== About Me ==

=== Computing ===
I guess at my core, I'm a hacker: always tinkering, trying to figure out what various pieces do, experimenting. Linux is, for sure, the perfect platform for me.

==== Programming ====
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== Hobbies ==
==== Mentoring ====
I've helped developed a distro-agnostic project called '''[[http://linuxpadawan.net|LinuxPadawan]]''' that is dedicated to helping Linux users become better users and hopefully, Linux contributors. If you need help in any particular area, whether is is technical or non-technical, beginner or advanced, this is where to get it.

Similarly, if you need help in general, don't hesitate to get in touch. I don't bite.

==== Unicode ====
Also, in case it's not obvious, I ♥ Unicode! ☺ I've even got U+5FCD ([[http://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/5fcd/index.htm|忍]]) tattooed on my arm, which serves as a reminder to myself to exercise [[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E5%BF%8D#Japanese|patience]].

=== Family ===
I'm blessed with a lovely wife and daughter that keep me quite busy. The latter is a hardcore swimmer and Minecraft/Terraria fanastic. She has a laptop that I refurbished with Lubuntu on it. The former is an [[https://www.flickr.com/photos/christina_lapchynski/|amazing artist]] and is truly the yang to my yin (even though she prefers OS X/iOS)!

=== Cycling ===
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=== Music ===
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==== Radio ====
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Also, on the other end of the spectrum, I have two more avant-garde/experimental projects that work in the loosely described genre of noise, [[http://discogs.com/artist/Brownian+Motion|Brownian Motion]] and [[http://discogs.com/artist/ERNIE+4,The|The ERNIE 4]], the latter being a collaboration with Jon 7/President Blair. Previously, they have involved taking some source material and manipulating it with the Apple-specific product Audio Hijack Pro. Often, there's a subtle commentary on the nature of intellectual copyright and what exactly is "free" in not only the implementation but the selection of sources. It is ironic then, to not use free software. I'm proud to say current works use Lubuntu, JACK, Pure Data, FreqTweak, jack-rack, and a variety of other free softwares. It is also likely that some generative video will be created via either Pure Data or Processing. Much of my work is available through my label [[http://cashmusic.org/brownianemotions|Brownian e/Motion(s)]]. I have an interest in doing livecoding. My friend and I are working on a little project in [[https://overtone.github.io/|Overtone]] (Clojure + supercollider). There is also a likelihood that an electronic music project (likely breakcore) will come into existence care of some tracker (lgpt or Buzztard).

== My Contributions ==

My main focus is on Lubuntu in the following areas (not necessarily in order):
 1. '''Bug reporting and triage''' on [[https://launchpad.net/~wxl23/+karma|Launchpad]] and less so, on [[http://sourceforge.net/users/wxl23/|Sourceforge]] where the main LXDE tracker is. I am a member of [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-packaging|Lubuntu Packages]] team, so I regularly get updates on bugs related to our project.
 2. '''IRC support''' on [[http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=lubuntu|#lubuntu]] on Freenode.
 3. '''Testing/QA''' on both virtual and real hardware, with a particular focus on [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-qa|Lubuntu QA]] (I'm one of two current Release Managers), but also [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/Testing/PPC%26Mac64|PowerPC/Mac]] (I'm the ''de facto'' Point Of Contact), Ubuntu server, and netboot. I recently was added as a testcase admin to help keep our procedures up to date. I'm proud to say that I was part of the team that kept PowerPC afloat for 12.10 by some very last minute testing.
 4. '''Documentation''' on the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/|Lubuntu Wiki]] but also general pages where relevant.
 5. '''Facebook''', where I helped create and help administer the [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/lubuntu.official|official group]].

I also serve as the Team Leader/Point Of Contact for [[http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ubuntu-us-or/|Oregon LoCo]].
==== Production ====
I have several avant-garde/experimental projects, including [[http://discogs.com/artist/Brownian+Motion|Brownian Motion]] and [[http://discogs.com/artist/ERNIE+4,The|The ERNIE 4]]. Most of this work is produced with open source software. I also have an interest in doing livecoding. My friend and I are working on a little project in [[https://overtone.github.io/|Overtone]] (Clojure + supercollider).

==== Netlabel ====
Much of my work and the work of artists I enjoy is available through my Creative Commons-licensed netlabel [[http://brownianemotions.bandcamp.com|Brownian e/Motion(s)]], where every release is available for as much or as little as you like to pay.

=== Science ===
I have an honors degree in biology from the [[http://www.uoregon.edu/ | University of Oregon]]. Though I find academia to be contrary to the development of science, my interest remains. Bioinfromatics and computational biology may be in my future.

== Ubuntu ==

=== History ===

==== *nix Beginnings ====
{{{#!html
<a href=http://polka.bike/ubuntu/lenny_bike.png><img src=http://polka.bike/ubuntu/lenny_bike.png alt="Lenny on a bike" width=150 align=right></a>
}}} I taught myself programming at age 8 on a Commodore 128. Telecommunications via 1200 baud modem introduced me to the Cleveland !FreeNet and subsequently FreeBSD. Later, on a PC, frustration with a limited terminal in Windows 95 led me to find something else. After trying Red Hat on a work computer, Slackware on an old !ThinkPad that died, I was in search for an OS for my PPC machine.

==== Lubuntu is the Future ====
That's when I found Lubuntu 12.04. I came for support and I fell so in love with the community, I just stayed and eventually became a contributor (and an official Ubuntu Member in 2014). Even after I moved to a normal PC, I installed Lubuntu. Now every machine in the house (and there are many, including a little mini-ITX server and a Raspberry Pi) has some Debian-based distro on it, mostly Lubuntu.

==== Other flavors ====
At work, we use Kubuntu as a standard desktop, Ubuntu server for Samba and PostgreSQL (among other things), and even an LTSP set up care of Edubuntu for our manufacturing area.

=== Contributions ===

My main focus is on Lubuntu in the following areas:
 1. '''Testing/QA''' on both virtual and real hardware.
 1. '''Bug Triage''' on [[https://launchpad.net/~wxl/+karma|Launchpad]].
 1. '''Support''' on [[http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=lubuntu|#lubuntu]], the [[https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/lubuntu-users|mailing list]], and [[http://askubuntu.com/users/237241/wxl|AskUbuntu]].
 1. '''Documentation''' on the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/|Lubuntu Wiki]] but also general pages where relevant.
 1. '''Marketing''', where I helped create and help administer the [[https://www.facebook.com/groups/lubuntu.official|official Facebook group]].

I've also begun to help out with packaging in Kubuntu (currently all my [[https://code.launchpad.net/~wxl/+git|Git repos on Launchpad]] relate to this work). I am an official [[https://launchpad.net/~kubuntu-members|Kubuntu Member]] and a [[https://launchpad.net/~kubuntu-ninjas|Kubuntu Ninja]].

I also serve the community in several ways:
 1. Team Leader/Point Of Contact for the [[http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ubuntu-us-or/|Ubuntu Oregon LoCo]].
 1. On the [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/CommunityCouncil|Community Council]] in several delegations:
    1. [[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-membership-board|Membership Board]] member.
    1. [[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-lococouncil|LoCo Council]] member.
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== My Teams ==

 * {{https://launchpad.net/favicon.ico}} [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-desktop|Lubuntu]]
 * {*} [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/CommunicationsTeam|Lubuntu Comms]]
 * {{https://launchpad.net/favicon.ico}} [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-packaging|Lubuntu Packages Team]]
 * {{https://launchpad.net/favicon.ico}} [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-product-managers|Lubuntu Product Managers]]
 * {*} [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/DocumentationTeam|Lubuntu Wiki and Docs Team]]
 * {*} [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/Testing|Lubuntu-QA]]
 * {*} [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuScientists/|Ubuntu Scientists]]
 * {*} [[http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ubuntu-us-or/|Ubuntu Oregon LoCo]]

== Future Goals ==

Short term, I've got some work ahead of me to unite and grow the beautiful State of Oregon's LoCo, spreading the word of Ubuntu throughout the land!

Long term, I want to learn Vala, GTK, Qt, and related languages, as well as packaging, so I can help with the development of Lubuntu and ultimately be able to do a better job in the areas I already contribute to.
=== Teams ===

It has now got to the point that I have too many teams to list here. See all of them [[https://launchpad.net/~wxl/+participation | here]], but a choice selection follows.

==== Lubuntu ====
   * [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-packaging|Lubuntu Packages Team]]
   * [[https://launchpad.net/~lubuntu-product-managers|Lubuntu Product Managers]]
   * [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/Testing|Lubuntu-QA]]
   * [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/CommunicationsTeam|Lubuntu Comms]]
   * [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu/DocumentationTeam|Lubuntu Wiki and Docs Team]]

==== Community ====
   * [[http://loco.ubuntu.com/teams/ubuntu-us-or/|Ubuntu Oregon LoCo]]
   * [[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-membership-board|Ubuntu Membership Board]]
   * [[https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-lococouncil|Ubuntu LoCo Council]]
   * [[https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuLeadership|Ubuntu Leadership]]

=== Goals ===

==== Ubuntu Oregon LoCo ====
Grow the team and be more involved in events around the state.

==== Lubuntu ====
Grow QA, especially in the the area of bug triage. Also grow the rest of the team and ensuring we have adequate backup in positions of leadership.

Long term, I'd like to help more with packaging and development.

==== Kubuntu ====
Using my experience as a Release Manager, help them get a new Release Manager for the Zesty cycle.

Maybe ascension to Kubuntu Developer is in order, as well.

==== Governance ====
Act as an evangelist for passions of the community as well as an apologist for the vision of Canonical, keep the lines of communication open, foster and encourage more activity in terms of sustained contributions, and serve as a voice for the less visible projects of the Ubuntu ecosystem that don't necessarily coincide with current state of development in Ubuntu Desktop.

==== Elsewhere ====
Understand how community members can contribute to Ubuntu Touch testing and contribute code to the project!

=== Presentations ===

==== UOS 1411 ====
 * [[http://summit.ubuntu.com/uos-1411/meeting/22341/latest-developments-in-lubuntu-development/|Latest Developments in Lubuntu Development]]
 * [[http://summit.ubuntu.com/uos-1411/meeting/22372/community-1411-ubuntu-us-oregon/|Ubuntu Oregon LoCo meet and greet and planning]]

==== UOS 1505 ====
 * [[http://summit.ubuntu.com/uos-1505/meeting/22422/lxqt-next-generation-of-lubuntu/|LXQt: Next Generation of Lubuntu]]

==== EUGLUG ====
 * [[http://files.meetup.com/8125762/big%20linux%20noise.pdf|Making a Big Noise With Linux]] - kind of an overview of audio in Linux, various audio utilities, and leading to livecoding (part 1 of 2).

=== Press ===

 * [[http://ubuntu-news.org/2015/06/19/membership-board-member-interviews-walter-lapchynski/ | Membership Board interview]] by Svetlana Belkin on June 19, 2015

=== Miscellaneous ===

### note this link will need to be migrated to /2015 once it's over

 * [[https://developers.google.com/open-source/gci | Google Code-In]] mentor for Ubuntu, 2015
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### INSTRUCTIONS ### * includes name and date
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#################### * add at the end of the testimonials
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''update'':

I've had the extreme pleasure of working with wxl for several years now. He's very good at what he does, and is always willing to help and share his knowledge with others.
'''update''': I've had the extreme pleasure of working with wxl for several years now. He's very good at what he does, and is always willing to help and share his knowledge with others.
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Walter not only helped us with the testing task on QA Team. He spent hours trying to solve those called ''minor problems'' from unexperienced users on Lubuntu's IRC channel, editing and correcting wiki pages or even managing media resources like Facebook to spread the word. I highly recommend his membership application. -- [[LaunchpadHome:rafaellaguna]] <<DateTime(2014-07-11T23:16:46Z)>> '''update''': What to add? Walter is one of those people who is there if you need to ask about how to deal with a person or situation. He is a wise owl who can see the facts and not the heat. His work with his padawans shows he does not favour people he knows. He is a diligent guy and not only do I recommend him to the Community Council, I will go so far as to say that you have the opportunity to have a fantastic guy join the council. [[phillw]] Sat 10th Oct. 2015

Walter not only helped us with the testing task on QA Team. He spent hours trying to solve those called ''minor problems'' from unexperienced users on Lubuntu's IRC channel, editing and correcting wiki pages or even managing media resources like Facebook to spread the word. I highly recommend his membership application. -- [[rafaellaguna]] <<DateTime(2014-07-11T23:16:46Z)>>

'''update''': for a few years wxl has been working with us and other teams, and he proved his skills. His abilities to be part of a governance board are out of any doubt, as his work at the Lubuntu QA Testing speaks for himself, the way he organise the meetings and the entire team schedule, the great work at the wiki (fixes, documentation, release notes...) and, in general, all the hard work a higher responsibility a Community Council needs. I highly support his membership application. -- [[LaunchpadHome:rafaellaguna]] <<DateTime(2015-10-10T21:46:59Z)>>

For me as CEO of Lubuntu marketing it's essential to have to have reliable sources that support me and my work. And for me, Walter is such a source. Whenever I need information or support on short notice, I can always count on Walter. He has the ability to make even the most difficult tech stuff understandable for Linux novices like me. And on top, he is patient... Someone willing to explain the same procedure 3 times in a row if necessary. And that's what the community really needs in my eyes. [[silverlion]] on Tue 5th August 2014

I've known wxl on IRC for a while now, and I'd say he is an intelligent, helpful person in terms of support and is the current release manager for Lubuntu. I fully support his application to become an Ubuntu member. -- [[unit193]]

I have known Walter on IRC for a good amount of time and he is a great person to work with on a wide range of subjects. He almost always has the right answer and has really helped my journey in becoming a better Lubuntu user/contributor. I cannot thank him enough for all the time he has spent working with me so far. Not only has he helped me, he has helped many others in the community. He is a valued member of the community and I fully support his application for Community Council. [[tsimonq2]] on Sunday, September 20, 2015

'''Update:''' I have had the pleasure of working with Walter for the past year now. I am at a loss of words for how I can write this, because he has done so much for me and for the community. I see him almost daily helping people out on IRC, always making sure that if he can't help solve a problem, he points them in the right direction. He also occasionally works with me on the Lubuntu development channel to solve a problem, making sure that even after a year, I feel like I am a valued member of the Lubuntu team. Even if it's a simple comment such as "good job" or "thank you," he always lifts my spirits. I could say a lot more, but I would end up filling this page. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with such a great individual, and here's to another great year! -- [[LaunchpadHome:tsimonq2]] <<DateTime(2016-07-15T04:13:29Z)>>

Walter is an excellent person to know, both online and offline. I had the pleasure of working with him on our !LoCo booth for Ubuntu Oregon at LinuxFest Northwest. He has done an great job as our !LoCo leader and successfully laid down the groundwork to rejuvenate our !LoCo. Walter has the natural people skills it requires to take on leadership roles with ease. I fully support his application for Community Council.
-- [[sgclark]] on Fri 9th October 2015.

During our UMB meeting and talking about documentation, wxl always helps hugely and brings great ideas to the table. I believe he can and will be a awesome Community Council member!
-- [[ahoneybun]] on Fri 9th October 2015.

Walter is a great guy and a very dedicated one. He was one that collected me kindly on the Ubuntu communities, helping me find my way. Of course, I ended up working with him for Lubuntu, to reduce his efforts to have the release notes ready for the upcoming releases. His leadership skills were always key to have everything on track, as well as on a clean shape.
Working with him is always a pleasure, since quality, sympathy, quality and coordination is always granted. His application for the Community Council is more then deserved and I'm sure he will be a great plus to the council since he will help Ubuntu grow with everything he has.
-- [[gsilva]] on Fri 16th of October 2015.

Walter is a delight to work with in the Ubuntu community, and now in Kubuntu as well. He's a calm voice, always creative and willing to help others even when he is struggling with an issue. I look forward to working with him more, and learning how to do some release management from him. -- [[LaunchpadHome:valorie-zimmerman]] <<DateTime(2016-11-18T14:04:00-0700)>>

Walter is as a current release manager of lubuntu to work with as a member of the lubuntu QA team and is nice to deal with on irc.
[[walterorlin]] on Fri 18th Novemember 2016
### add testimonials just above this line. instructions above btw.

wxl /ˈwɪk.sɪl/ n.

my ugly mug

NAME

Walter Lapchynski

LOCATION

Eugene, Oregon, United States

TIME ZONE

Pacific Time (UTC-7/8)

PGP

C563 CAC5 8BE1 2F22 A49D 68F6 8B57 A48B C4F2 051A

LAUNCHPAD

wxl

WIKI

wxl

EMAIL

wxl <wxl AT ubuntu DOT com>

IRC

wxl

WEB

polka.bike

FLAVORS

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Lubuntu https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kubuntu

ROLES

Ubuntu Lubuntu Head of QA (2014-)
Ubuntu Oregon LoCo Team Leader (2014-)
Ubuntu Ubuntu Membership Board (2015-)
Ubuntu LoCo Council member (2015-)

About Me

Computing

I guess at my core, I'm a hacker: always tinkering, trying to figure out what various pieces do, experimenting. Linux is, for sure, the perfect platform for me.

Programming

I've decided, thusly, to quit ignoring my calling and have went back to school to get my degree in IT, with an emphasis in software development. This way I can actually be getting paid for what I'll ultimately be doing on my own anyways. I've got experience with Bash, Java, C, C++, C#, Python, Lua (awesomewm!), Common Lisp, Clojure, to name a few.

Mentoring

I've helped developed a distro-agnostic project called LinuxPadawan that is dedicated to helping Linux users become better users and hopefully, Linux contributors. If you need help in any particular area, whether is is technical or non-technical, beginner or advanced, this is where to get it.

Similarly, if you need help in general, don't hesitate to get in touch. I don't bite.

Unicode

Also, in case it's not obvious, I ♥ Unicode! ☺ I've even got U+5FCD () tattooed on my arm, which serves as a reminder to myself to exercise patience.

Family

I'm blessed with a lovely wife and daughter that keep me quite busy. The latter is a hardcore swimmer and Minecraft/Terraria fanastic. She has a laptop that I refurbished with Lubuntu on it. The former is an amazing artist and is truly the yang to my yin (even though she prefers OS X/iOS)!

Cycling

I'm an everyday cyclist and bike commuter and my primary employment is selling handcrafted folding bicycles to an international audience at Bike Friday. I also do various and sundry information services tasks for them.

Music

I'm also a music geek and a free culture junkie. These two often go hand in hand.

Radio

I host an electronic music radio show broadcast with my own Icecast server (called ∃ radio) using Mixxx to DJ exclusively free Creative Commons-licensed tunes.

Production

I have several avant-garde/experimental projects, including Brownian Motion and The ERNIE 4. Most of this work is produced with open source software. I also have an interest in doing livecoding. My friend and I are working on a little project in Overtone (Clojure + supercollider).

Netlabel

Much of my work and the work of artists I enjoy is available through my Creative Commons-licensed netlabel Brownian e/Motion(s), where every release is available for as much or as little as you like to pay.

Science

I have an honors degree in biology from the University of Oregon. Though I find academia to be contrary to the development of science, my interest remains. Bioinfromatics and computational biology may be in my future.

Ubuntu

History

*nix Beginnings

Lenny on a bike

I taught myself programming at age 8 on a Commodore 128. Telecommunications via 1200 baud modem introduced me to the Cleveland FreeNet and subsequently FreeBSD. Later, on a PC, frustration with a limited terminal in Windows 95 led me to find something else. After trying Red Hat on a work computer, Slackware on an old ThinkPad that died, I was in search for an OS for my PPC machine.

Lubuntu is the Future

That's when I found Lubuntu 12.04. I came for support and I fell so in love with the community, I just stayed and eventually became a contributor (and an official Ubuntu Member in 2014). Even after I moved to a normal PC, I installed Lubuntu. Now every machine in the house (and there are many, including a little mini-ITX server and a Raspberry Pi) has some Debian-based distro on it, mostly Lubuntu.

Other flavors

At work, we use Kubuntu as a standard desktop, Ubuntu server for Samba and PostgreSQL (among other things), and even an LTSP set up care of Edubuntu for our manufacturing area.

Contributions

My main focus is on Lubuntu in the following areas:

  1. Testing/QA on both virtual and real hardware.

  2. Bug Triage on Launchpad.

  3. Support on #lubuntu, the mailing list, and AskUbuntu.

  4. Documentation on the Lubuntu Wiki but also general pages where relevant.

  5. Marketing, where I helped create and help administer the official Facebook group.

I've also begun to help out with packaging in Kubuntu (currently all my Git repos on Launchpad relate to this work). I am an official Kubuntu Member and a Kubuntu Ninja.

I also serve the community in several ways:

  1. Team Leader/Point Of Contact for the Ubuntu Oregon LoCo.

  2. On the Community Council in several delegations:

    1. Membership Board member.

    2. LoCo Council member.

Teams

It has now got to the point that I have too many teams to list here. See all of them here, but a choice selection follows.

Lubuntu

Community

Goals

Ubuntu Oregon LoCo

Grow the team and be more involved in events around the state.

Lubuntu

Grow QA, especially in the the area of bug triage. Also grow the rest of the team and ensuring we have adequate backup in positions of leadership.

Long term, I'd like to help more with packaging and development.

Kubuntu

Using my experience as a Release Manager, help them get a new Release Manager for the Zesty cycle.

Maybe ascension to Kubuntu Developer is in order, as well.

Governance

Act as an evangelist for passions of the community as well as an apologist for the vision of Canonical, keep the lines of communication open, foster and encourage more activity in terms of sustained contributions, and serve as a voice for the less visible projects of the Ubuntu ecosystem that don't necessarily coincide with current state of development in Ubuntu Desktop.

Elsewhere

Understand how community members can contribute to Ubuntu Touch testing and contribute code to the project!

Presentations

UOS 1411

UOS 1505

EUGLUG

Press

Miscellaneous

Testimonials

If you have something nice to say about me, please add it below:


Walter is, as stated above, a very motivated and 'hands-on' person in all areas that he is involved in. For the testing cycle he went far beyond any call of duty. This continues apace with the chasing of outstanding bugs and the re-write of test cases for PPC. He is not limited to PPC and helps out on all areas. He is a wonderful example of the Ubuntu ethos, I strongly support his application for full Ubuntu membership. phillw 28th Oct 2012

update: I've had the extreme pleasure of working with wxl for several years now. He's very good at what he does, and is always willing to help and share his knowledge with others. He's been very helpful in many areas especially with the support and testing side. It is through his fantastic work that each cycle lubuntu has enough people to test PPC and AMD64+Mac images. His work with the Lubuntu Team has always been above and beyond the call of duty. He has now taken the mantle of TL for testing and is also now a release manager with duty of checking milestone ISO's are either a 'GO' or 'NO-GO' for acceptance. He's also always ready to answer any questions concerning where Lubuntu and F/OSS in general is heading. He is active with the areas of advocacy and being the Team Leader for lubuntu testing, liaises well with others and also with lubuntu's other sub-teams. I ask that you look favourably upon his application. phillw Sat 12th July 2014

update: What to add? Walter is one of those people who is there if you need to ask about how to deal with a person or situation. He is a wise owl who can see the facts and not the heat. His work with his padawans shows he does not favour people he knows. He is a diligent guy and not only do I recommend him to the Community Council, I will go so far as to say that you have the opportunity to have a fantastic guy join the council. phillw Sat 10th Oct. 2015

Walter not only helped us with the testing task on QA Team. He spent hours trying to solve those called minor problems from unexperienced users on Lubuntu's IRC channel, editing and correcting wiki pages or even managing media resources like Facebook to spread the word. I highly recommend his membership application. -- rafaellaguna 2014-07-11 23:16:46

update: for a few years wxl has been working with us and other teams, and he proved his skills. His abilities to be part of a governance board are out of any doubt, as his work at the Lubuntu QA Testing speaks for himself, the way he organise the meetings and the entire team schedule, the great work at the wiki (fixes, documentation, release notes...) and, in general, all the hard work a higher responsibility a Community Council needs. I highly support his membership application. -- rafaellaguna 2015-10-10 21:46:59

For me as CEO of Lubuntu marketing it's essential to have to have reliable sources that support me and my work. And for me, Walter is such a source. Whenever I need information or support on short notice, I can always count on Walter. He has the ability to make even the most difficult tech stuff understandable for Linux novices like me. And on top, he is patient... Someone willing to explain the same procedure 3 times in a row if necessary. And that's what the community really needs in my eyes. silverlion on Tue 5th August 2014

I've known wxl on IRC for a while now, and I'd say he is an intelligent, helpful person in terms of support and is the current release manager for Lubuntu. I fully support his application to become an Ubuntu member. -- unit193

I have known Walter on IRC for a good amount of time and he is a great person to work with on a wide range of subjects. He almost always has the right answer and has really helped my journey in becoming a better Lubuntu user/contributor. I cannot thank him enough for all the time he has spent working with me so far. Not only has he helped me, he has helped many others in the community. He is a valued member of the community and I fully support his application for Community Council. tsimonq2 on Sunday, September 20, 2015

Update: I have had the pleasure of working with Walter for the past year now. I am at a loss of words for how I can write this, because he has done so much for me and for the community. I see him almost daily helping people out on IRC, always making sure that if he can't help solve a problem, he points them in the right direction. He also occasionally works with me on the Lubuntu development channel to solve a problem, making sure that even after a year, I feel like I am a valued member of the Lubuntu team. Even if it's a simple comment such as "good job" or "thank you," he always lifts my spirits. I could say a lot more, but I would end up filling this page. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with such a great individual, and here's to another great year! -- tsimonq2 2016-07-15 04:13:29

Walter is an excellent person to know, both online and offline. I had the pleasure of working with him on our LoCo booth for Ubuntu Oregon at LinuxFest Northwest. He has done an great job as our LoCo leader and successfully laid down the groundwork to rejuvenate our LoCo. Walter has the natural people skills it requires to take on leadership roles with ease. I fully support his application for Community Council. -- sgclark on Fri 9th October 2015.

During our UMB meeting and talking about documentation, wxl always helps hugely and brings great ideas to the table. I believe he can and will be a awesome Community Council member! -- ahoneybun on Fri 9th October 2015.

Walter is a great guy and a very dedicated one. He was one that collected me kindly on the Ubuntu communities, helping me find my way. Of course, I ended up working with him for Lubuntu, to reduce his efforts to have the release notes ready for the upcoming releases. His leadership skills were always key to have everything on track, as well as on a clean shape. Working with him is always a pleasure, since quality, sympathy, quality and coordination is always granted. His application for the Community Council is more then deserved and I'm sure he will be a great plus to the council since he will help Ubuntu grow with everything he has. -- gsilva on Fri 16th of October 2015.

Walter is a delight to work with in the Ubuntu community, and now in Kubuntu as well. He's a calm voice, always creative and willing to help others even when he is struggling with an issue. I look forward to working with him more, and learning how to do some release management from him. -- valorie-zimmerman 2016-11-18 21:04:00

Walter is as a current release manager of lubuntu to work with as a member of the lubuntu QA team and is nice to deal with on irc. walterorlin on Fri 18th Novemember 2016


wxl (last edited 2020-10-14 22:08:22 by wxl)