1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
|
#use wml::debian::template title="Debian New Members Corner" BARETITLE="true"
<p>The Debian New Member process is the process of becoming an official
Debian Developer (DD). These webpages are the place where prospective Debian
Developers can find all the details on applying to become a DD, the
different steps of the process, and how to track the process of their ongoing
application.</p>
<p>The first important point to make is that you do <em>not</em> need
to be an official Debian Developer in order to help improving
Debian. In fact, you should already have a track record of earlier
contributions to Debian before you apply for the New Member process.</p>
<p><a name="non-maintainer-contributions"></a>Debian is an open community and
welcomes everyone who wants to use or help improve our distribution. As a
non-developer you can:</p>
<ul>
<li>maintain packages through a <a href="#Sponsor">sponsor</a></li>
<li>create and/or review translations</li>
<li>create or improve documentation</li>
<li><a href="../website">help maintain the website</a></li>
<li>help with handling bugs (by providing patches, filing good bugs,
confirming the existence of the bug, finding ways to reproduce the
problem, ...)</li>
<li>be an active member of a packaging team (e.g. debian-qt-kde or debian-gnome)</li>
<li>be an active member of a subproject (e.g. debian-installer or debian-desktop)</li>
<li>etc</li>
</ul>
<p>The <a href="$(DOC)/developers-reference/new-maintainer.html">Debian
Developer's Reference</a> contains several concrete suggestions on how
to do several of these tasks (in particular, how to find willing
sponsors).</p>
<p>The Debian New Member process is the process of becoming an official
Debian Developer (DD). This is the traditional full membership role in
Debian. A DD can participate in Debian elections. Packaging DDs can upload
any package to the archive. Before applying as a packaging DD you should
have a track record of maintaining packages for at least six months. For
example uploading packages as a <a
href="https://wiki.debian.org/DebianMaintainer">Debian Maintainer
(DM)</a>, working inside a team or maintaining packages uploaded by
sponsors. Non-packaging DDs have no permissions in the archive. Before
applying as non-packaging DD, you should have a visible and significant
track record of work inside the project.</p>
<p>It is important to understand that the New Member process is part of
Debian's Quality Assurance efforts. It is hard to find developers who can spend
enough time on their Debian tasks, so we find it important to checking that
applicants are able to sustain their work, and do it well. Therefore we require
that prospective members have been actively involved in Debian for some time
already.</p>
<p><a name="developer-priveleges"></a>Every Debian Developer:</p>
<ul>
<li>is member of the Debian project;</li>
<li>is allowed to vote about issues regarding the whole project;</li>
<li>can log in on most systems that keep Debian running;</li>
<li>has upload permissions for <em>all</em> packages
(except non-uploading Developers, who have the upload rights of a DM);</li>
<li>has access to the debian-private mailing list.</li>
</ul>
<p>In other words, becoming a Debian Developer grants you several important
privileges regarding the project's infrastructure. Obviously this requires a
great deal of trust in and commitment by the applicant.</p>
<p>Consequently the whole NM process is very strict and thorough. This is not
meant to discourage people interested in becoming a registered developer, but
it does explain why the New Member process takes so much time.</p>
<p>Please read the <a href="#Glossary">glossary definitions</a> before
reading the rest of the pages.</p>
<p>The following pages will be of interest to Applicants:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="nm-checklist">Checklist - required steps for Applicants</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="nm-step1">Step 1: Application</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step2">Step 2: Identification</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step3">Step 3: Philosophy and Procedures</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step4">Step 4: Tasks and Skills</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step5">Step 5: Recommendation</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step6">Step 6: Front Desk Check</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-step7">Step 7: Debian Account Manager check and account creation</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="https://nm.debian.org/public/newnm">Entry Form</a></li>
</ul>
<p>If you are a Debian Developer, and are interested in participating in the
New Member process, please visit these pages:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="nm-amchecklist">Checklist for Application Managers</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-advocate">Advocating a prospective member</a></li>
<li><a href="nm-amhowto">Mini-HOWTO for Application Managers</a></li>
<li><a href="$(HOME)/events/keysigning">Mini-HOWTO for Keysigning</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Miscellaneous:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://nm.debian.org/">Status database for the New Member
process</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nm.debian.org/process/">List of current applicants</a></li>
<li><a href="https://nm.debian.org/public/managers">List of current application
managers</a></li>
</ul>
<define-tag email><<a href="mailto:%0">%0</a>></define-tag>
<h2><a name="Glossary">Glossary Definitions</a></h2>
<dl>
<dt><a name="Advocate">Advocate</a>:</dt>
<dd>A <a href="#Member">Debian Member</a> that advocates an application. They
should know the <a href="#Applicant">Applicant</a> fairly well and should be
able to give an overview of the Applicant's work, interests and plans.
Advocates are often the <a href="#Sponsor">Sponsors</a> of an Applicant.
</dd>
<dt><a name="Applicant">Applicant</a>, New Member, historically also New Maintainer (NM):</dt>
<dd>A person requesting Debian membership as Debian Developer.</dd>
<dt><a name="AppMan">Application Manager</a> (AM):</dt>
<dd>A <a href="#Member">Debian Member</a> who is assigned to an <a
href="#Applicant">Applicant</a> to collect the information needed by
the <a href="#DAM">Debian Account Managers</a> to decide about an
application. One Application Manager can be assigned to more than
one Applicant.</dd>
<dt><a name="DAM">Debian Account Manager</a> (DAM): <email da-manager@debian.org></dt>
<dd>A <a href="#Member">Debian Member</a> that was delegated to manage
the Debian Account creation and removal by the Debian Project Leader (DPL).
The DAMs have the final decision over an application.</dd>
<dt><a name="FrontDesk">Front Desk</a>: <email nm@debian.org></dt>
<dd>The Front Desk members do the infrastructural work for the NM process like
receiving the initial applications, advocation messages and final application
reports, and assigning AMs to NMs. They are the point of contact if problems
with the application arise.</dd>
<dt><a name="Member">Member, Developer</a>:</dt>
<dd>A Debian member, who has gone
through the New Member process and had their application accepted.</dd>
<dt><a name="Sponsor">Sponsor</a>:</dt>
<dd>A <a href="#Member">Debian Member</a> who acts as the mentor of
an Applicant: They check packages provided by the Applicant and help
to find problems and to improve the packaging. When the sponsor is
satisfied with the package, they upload it on behalf of the Applicant
to the Debian archive. The Applicant is recorded as the maintainer of
such a package, despite the fact Applicants do not upload
packages themselves.</dd>
</dl>
|
