Click here to view code image
matthew@seymour:~$ debcommit
Push the change to Launchpad, replacing items in italic with your
information:
Click here to view code image
matthew@seymour:~$ bzr push
lp:~yourLaunchpadID/ubuntu/release/package/branchname
matthew@seymour:~$ bzr lp-propose
The first command sends your code to Launchpad. The last command opens
the Launchpad page of the merge proposal in your browser.
Finding Bugs to Fix with Harvest
For many, using Harvest to find bugs is a great place to start because it gives
you a way to practice while also helping the community. Harvest is a to-do
list for Ubuntu development. Some of the bugs listed in Harvest are things
that have been fixed upstream but have not yet been incorporated into Ubuntu
packaged versions. Others are small items that no one has yet had time to fix;
these are called “bitesize” bugs, in Ubuntu parlance.
Working on bitesize bugs is a perfect place for newcomers to help out. Some
of them are as simple as fixing typos in displayed text that is somewhere in a
program’s code. Fixing simple bugs at first lets you focus on learning the
system. This frees you from wondering whether it is your programming skill
or your packaging if you run into problems. The “Resources” section at the
end of this chapter includes a link to the Harvest web page to help you get
started.
Masters of the Universe
Fixing bugs is not the only reason people get involved with Ubuntu
development and packaging. The Masters of the Universe—or, as it is better
known, the MOTU—is a team of volunteers that finds useful software from
upstream developers and packages it for easy installation from the Ubuntu
repositories. This means that end users will find more software available
without having to go and find source code packages and learn how to package
and install on their own. You can find packages created by the MOTU in the
Universe and Multiverse repositories. You have probably been using MOTU’s
work without even knowing it.
Everyone here starts as a contributor. To earn the MOTU title, you work with