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https://github.com/dankamongmen/debian-developer-app

my debian developer application (Q4 2021)
https://github.com/dankamongmen/debian-developer-app

Last synced: 27 days ago
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my debian developer application (Q4 2021)

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README 

        
*update: I was approved as a Debian Developer 2022-03-03*



# Endankifying Debian



I applied to become a Debian Developer with full uploading privileges in

September 2021, having been advocated by Philipp Kern.



At that time, I had been using Debian for about twenty years, had been

uploading under sponsorship for a little over a year, and had been a Debian

Maintainer for about six months. I had overseen my own Debian Derivative,

"SprezzOS", for two years (2012–2013). I had created and maintained dozens of

DEB packages professionally and for open source outside of Debian,

preparing and administrating a handful of [reprepro](https://salsa.debian.org/brlink/reprepro)

instances. I had spent two years on Google's internal "Goobuntu" Linux team.

I had filed (and oftentimes submitted patches for) [many Debian bugs](https://nick-black.com/dankwiki/index.php?title=Debian).

I had spoken at FOSDEM and Debconf, and had patches accepted in over

one hundred open source projects. Developer status is not extended to

Linux novices.



I was appointed Sebastian Ramacher as my Application Manager. I had

previously interacted with Mr. Ramacher during the Notcurses ABI1->ABI2

transition, though that did not come up (nor was it expected to) during

my DD application.



The process of applying to become a Debian Member is described in

[Developers Reference 2](https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/new-maintainer.html).

You'll want to be familiar with the [New Members Corner](https://www.debian.org/devel/join/newmaint).

Becoming a DD is a lengthy process, and requires active involvement

from existing Developers. You'll generally first need to get some

packages Sponsored via the mentoring system; this will expose you as a

candidate member to the Project. At this stage, all uploads must be made by a

sponsor. Becoming a Debian Maintainer is fairly trivial once a Developer is

willing to nominate you, and allows you to perform your own uploads to a

limited set of packages. A Debian Developer with full uploading privileges has

full write access to the archive, and requires clearing a correspondingly

higher bar (this bar is raised over time).



This repository holds my answers to the DD interview questions. While the

questions are supposedly tailored to the applicant, they seemed to be

pretty much direct copies of the templates at [salsa](https://salsa.debian.org/nm-team/nm-templates/-/tree/master),

most of them unchanged for several years. It is thus likely that these

answers will come up in future DD applications. I ask that you do not

blindly copy them into your application; doing so subverts the intent and

process. With that said, (almost) all materials of the Debian Project are open,

and I see little reason to hide these. There are no secrets contained

herein.



I'd like to thank Jason Lunz for introducing me to Debian back in 2001.

I thank Jonathan Carter, at that time Project Leader, for encouraging

me to get more involved with Debian. I thank Robert Edmonds and Hideki Yamane

for sponsoring some early uploads, and especially Hideki for Nominating me

as a DM. I thank Philipp Kern for his grandmotherly kindness, for sponsoring

some early uploads, and especially for Advocating me as a DD. Finally, I

thank Sebastian Ramacher for Managing my application, and all Debian Developers

past, present, and future for admitting me to their ranks.



I pledge to carry your torch forth nobly.



—Nick Black ([email protected]), Atlanta 2021