Thank you for the suggestion Chris.
Welcome to you joining of the Bug Squad last month.


1a) re packaging

Before now, I have been looking for, and finding some information for how to do packaging.
e.g. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PackagingGuide/Complete
I have watched a few videos (Daniel Holbach).
I was even looking at how to do packaging even before I realized that "needs-packaging" request system on launchpad existed.

How ever, I am not sure that I have learned enough, or that what I have learned is what I need to know.
I am interested in doing packaging at launchpads PPA, where it is possible to generate packages for various CPU architectures.
Another advantage of PPA for me is that it is a standardized way to do it, and I don't have to do any further research to gather a kit together to do it - as there appear to be several alternative methods/programs, for each step, and different ways of setting up one's own PC to do it..


1b) MOTU team - multimedia
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MOTU/Teams/Media
Their page has the following statement;

"Try to get every package we find in the web to get included into Ubuntu's repository where possible. Our goal is to provide YOU with as many multimedia related software as possible."

I believe that this MOTU team would benefit from and appreciate, the work that I have done submitting needs-packaging bug requests, because a significant percentage of the requests are for multimedia programs. e.g. this one for handling stage lighting. Topics have included GUI front ends for transcoders, video editors, audio editors, capture programs, voip programs, speech related programs, graphics, 3D image and information, medical imaging systems, 2D and 3D CAD (BRL Cad is exceptionally good), and more.

But there are other MOTU teams who (I imagine) would be interested in getting (asap) the other needs-packaging bug requests I have supplied.

1c) An improvement to the needs-packaging system would be if the submitter could suggest a category for the program, which would help direct the request to the appropriate MOTU team, whose expertise would be most suited to assessing the request, and processing it speedily.

I have tried to make this easier for the bug triagers, by using related words in the tags field of the needs-packaging submission. But sometimes, somebody sees fit to remove them (and usually doesn't explain why).


2a) more that I am thinking of helping with - backports

I would also like to do backports, so programs can run on older versions of Ubuntu on machinery which is a few years old.

But apart from issues with confidence (which is not always helped with this bug system), I do not think that packaging is part of my current skill base, and would prefer to avoid risk of (further) trouble by making sure I am quite familiar with procedures/processes and am well practiced (having done some example exercises), before I begin a foray into packaging.


2b) more that I am thinking of helping with - bug handling

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/BugSquad/KnowledgeBase
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Responses
https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-bugcontrol/+members


3) Insecure lifestyle prevents me from long term commitments, so I can only help with short term activities.


If I possessed the skill to do packaging, then I Would be doing packaging.
What would be nice, would be if some of the people that elected to package the programs that I have suggested, would invite me and guide me through their packaging process, so i can learn and be certain.

Also since there are a number of programs on similar topics, it might be fun to start more MOTU or PPA groups to handle several related packages at once.

Some new MOTU groups might be started for topics like - library programs, CAD, groupware, CRM, electronic commerce, firewire (audio/video/network/monitoring/security), and more. It may not require more packagers, just that the current packagers can form groups to share the specific expertise in these areas - And it might help with the mentoring/apprentice activities in the specific areas.

Thank you for you help, and encouraging impetus.