provide a formatted form for launchpad's "needs-packaging" submissions

[Tree MendUs]

Please provide a form for making "needs-packing" submissions.
It helps people remember what information they need to include, and what they can include if they like.

The submission form could also have some links to useful resources like;
Ubuntu check for packages - http://packages.ubuntu.com/
and
Launchpad's previous needs-packaging requests https://launchpad.net/ubuntu

URL:

Description:

License:

plus tag of needs-packaging

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

Perhaps you are looking for something like https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopment/NewPackages/ExamplePackageRequest ? This is an example and not a form for submitting them though. If a form were to be implemented that would need to happen in the bug tracking system and subsequently I've opened a task for Launchpad.

[Tree MendUs (tree-mendus-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks Brian,

1) I have seen that example (or at least something pretty much the same) before.
It would be quite helpful to have a link to that example, placed somewhere on the Ubuntu Launchpad submission form.
Labeled something like "Example/How to submit a program Request".

2) Does "a task for Launchpad" mean that form Is going to be made? If so, this is going to be fantastic - it will help people get it right, make it easier, and encourage submissions of new programs to Ubuntu's collection.

3) Additional Thoughts for form design;

A useful piece of information to include on the form, would be;
a) a brief intro too the launchpad PPA service for projects, it's build server for compilation to various architectures and confident functioning with Ubuntu, along with translations groups.
b) A link to PPA
c) ask for (not mandatory - but obviously helpful) an email address that Ubuntu can send an automatic email to, to ask the programs project/developers if they would like to sign up to PPA's services.

4) Additional Forms;

If there are any other submission services that work through launchpad in a similar way of using "tags", then the form design for "needs-packaging" tags, could be used as a template for those services also.

This gets a major increase in benefit from just a bit more effort on top of the first job.

5) And it can be used to create More services, in a similar way as time goes on.

Thanks Brian (and the team) for advancing these systems.

[Tree MendUs (tree-mendus-deactivatedaccount)]

1) Another helpful link on the needs-packaging for Ubuntu page is to the Ubuntu Packages site.

http://packages.ubuntu.com/

with a notice something like;
"Please check that the package is not already part of any of the Ubuntu packages, at the Ubuntu packages site (here)."

2) Plus a reminder to check on launchpad (which could check for duplicates), for previous submissions for the same package.

[Tree MendUs (tree-mendus-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Brian,

I was thinking about the summary at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuDevelopment/NewPackages/ExamplePackageRequest
which I have seen before.

That is the format that represents the ideal submission for a package request.
I have made many package requests and have followed that format pretty closely (like to make it as easy as I can for the folks who do the packaging).

The idea of a form is to help make things easier for everybody.

The form can basically "get" the information and generate the text file that gets sent to the system that the packer folks use.
I am not sure if their system has a text searchers that looks for "URL:" , "Notes:", etc, and automatically extracts teh information - but I am sure that if it did, then it would make it easier for them.
OIt also makes it easier to have more useful databases of programs because the data gets put in separate fields at the earliest stage of processing.

At present, most of the data is put in in the one big "further information"(which is actually "vital" information for a package request) text box. There is also the tags, and summary text box, and a feature for attachments.

So the mechanisms that are needed for forms are already present in the bug report "form".
It is just that a package request requires more information, that is not specifically asked for, or made apparent, on the "bug report" when making a "package request".

The bug report form could, and launch pad pages could have links for the specific tasks "how to' - e.g. file a request to add a program to Ubuntu Packages.
Otherwise, how are people supposed to find out how to do it (after they have found out not to use Brainstorm, and that the "bugs" area is where you go to "add a program" - except it's not "called" that, it is called (Obviously) "needs-packaging".

This is getting long so I will continue in the next comment.

[Tree MendUs (tree-mendus-deactivatedaccount)]

Brian,

Can this information be transferred to launchpad task that you have opened?
How can I access/view the task?

If a form is going to be designed then it might be helpful to solicit further (non-compulsory information - NC), and provide separate fields for information that might normally be included in "further information" and "description"s (FI).

URL (main website)
URL other website (NC)
URL other website 2 (these provide backup in case the project changes its main website)(NC)

reference to proof of license type drop down menu (GPL, GNU, etc, other)
URL(NC), or file in source code.

requirements(NC)
dependencies(NC)

Features(FI)

suggested category 1 (NC)
suggested category 2 (NC)
suggested category 3 (NC)

screen shot 1 (FI in attachment - URL from website)
screen shot 1 (FI in attachment - URL from website)

language(s) used for program (may be in a "tags" format). NC

====================================
When a form is designed, like this.

Add to Repos from Browser side bar.

Then an extremely effective method of using it, is to have used like search engine pages, that sit in the sidebar of browsers. This would enable a user who happens to come across a program they think might be useful for Ubuntu, to quickly add it from their side bar.
The process (in future may even be done automatically in the form), would prompt for a check in Ubuntu package repos, and for similar requests in launchpad, then go on to present the form as outlined above.