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Ubuntu Open Week - Introduction to Launchpad - Matthew Revell - Mon, Apr 23, 2007

see also Friday Session.

TZ UTC-4

(02:01:14 PM) mrevell: Welcome to the "Introduction to Launchpad" session! Thanks for attending.
(02:01:28 PM) mrevell: Over the next hour, I'll take you through what makes Launchpad special.
(02:01:38 PM) mrevell: I'll also tell you when our other Launchpad-related sessions will be held, so you can find out more about using Launchpad for Ubuntu and other free software projects.
(02:01:51 PM) mrevell: If we have time, towards the end of this session, I'll be happy to answer your questions.
(02:02:13 PM) mrevell: However, we have an entire session dedicated to Launchpad Q&A at this time tomorrow (2007-04-23 18:00 UTC).
(02:02:23 PM) mrevell: Let's start with an overview of what Launchpad is:
(02:02:44 PM) mrevell: Launchpad is a web-based application to help people work on free software projects. It has five main tools:
(02:02:50 PM) mrevell: * bug tracker
(02:02:56 PM) mrevell: * code hosting
(02:03:01 PM) mrevell: * translations
(02:03:05 PM) mrevell: * blueprint tracker
(02:03:11 PM) mrevell: * answer tracker.
(02:03:16 PM) mrevell: What makes Launchpad really special, though, is its approach to collaboration.
(02:03:24 PM) mrevell: Launchpad was originally built to make it easy to create Ubuntu.
(02:03:38 PM) mrevell: Ubuntu is made up of the work of hundreds of different communities.
(02:03:45 PM) mrevell: Launchpad makes it easy for those communities to work together when they face shared problems.
(02:03:54 PM) mrevell:  
(02:03:55 PM) mrevell: Take a look at https://launchpad.net/~matthew.revell
(02:03:58 PM) mrevell:  
(02:04:04 PM) mrevell: This is my Launchpad profile page. Try not to laugh at the bad photo :)
(02:04:19 PM) mrevell: However bad it is, that photo's pretty useful. It appears on pages of my work and makes it easy to see what I've worked on.
(02:04:36 PM) mrevell: On my profile page, you can get an idea of what interests me and what work I've done in Launchpad.
(02:04:48 PM) mrevell: The "Most active in" section shows you which projects I've worked on recently and what sort of work I did.
(02:04:58 PM) mrevell: Unsurprisingly, Launchpad is top of my list!
(02:05:04 PM) mrevell: The two icons there show you that I've recently worked on bugs and blueprints related to Launchpad.
(02:05:15 PM) mrevell: You can also see how to contact me and which teams I've joined.
(02:05:29 PM) mrevell: Launchpad teams make it easy for groups of people to organise themselves. Anyone can create a team.
(02:05:50 PM) mrevell: Teams can do just about anything that an individual can. For example: they can join other teams or act as the bug contact for a project.
(02:06:06 PM) mrevell:  
(02:06:16 PM) mrevell: Before we get down to the individual parts of Launchpad, I'd like to explain some terminology.
(02:06:23 PM) mrevell: Communities are groups of people who work on software. They're not necessarily the originators of that software.
(02:06:40 PM) mrevell: I'll often refer to communities throughout this session
(02:06:49 PM) mrevell: For example: there are many communities who work with code from Firefox. There's the original Firefox team, the Debian packagers, the Ubuntu Firefox/Mozilla team, the Epiphany team and so on.
(02:07:03 PM) mrevell: Okay, let's look at the Launchpad bug tracker. It's probably the Launchpad tool that you know best and you may know it by its old name, Malone.
(02:07:18 PM) mrevell: You probably know that free software projects share code all the time. Take the Jokosher audio editor, for example. It relies on code from Gstreamer, Python, Gnome and other projects.
(02:07:35 PM) mrevell: Similarly, Linux distributions take the work of free software projects and package them up for people to use. They sometimes make changes to the code and also act as a frontline for when people report bugs.
(02:07:54 PM) mrevell: All of this means that bugs in free software aren't always reported to the people who wrote the code in the first place.
(02:08:12 PM) mrevell: With Launchpad, you can follow a bug as it affects each individual community. For example, let's look at: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/92345
(02:08:37 PM) mrevell: At the top of the page is a table that shows the communities that this bug affects. Each community sets its own status and importance for the bug but can share the same comment history.
(02:09:04 PM) mrevell: At a glance, you can see if someone has found a solution to the bug. You can also follow the full conversation that has taken place so far. With bug 92345, you may have noticed that two of the communities affected don't even use Launchpad.
(02:09:26 PM) mrevell: That's no problem. Much like your blog feed reader, Launchpad follows bugs in other bug trackers, including BugZilla, Roundup, Debian Bug Tracker and Sourceforge.
(02:09:47 PM) mrevell: Okay, so it's really cool that Launchpad makes bug tracking a hundred times more useful for free software projects. But it also gets the basics right too.
(02:10:08 PM) mrevell: Here's a short list of some of the cool stuff that Launchpad's bug tracker has going for it:
(02:10:16 PM) mrevell: * Easy to use web interface.
(02:10:22 PM) mrevell: * Email interface.
(02:10:27 PM) mrevell: * Bug tagging - create ad-hoc groups of bugs.
(02:10:32 PM) mrevell: * Fully hosted service - no sysadmin work.
(02:10:38 PM) mrevell: * Works with other parts of Launchpad, such as code hosting and the blueprint tracker.
(02:10:39 PM) mrevell:  
(02:10:50 PM) mrevell: Now, onto code hosting
(02:10:56 PM) mrevell: Launchpad works with the Bazaar version control system. Bazaar is a distributed version control system.
(02:11:08 PM) mrevell: That means everyone has their own code repository (called a branch in Bazaar terms).
(02:11:19 PM) mrevell: Unlike with CVS or Subversion, you don't need special permissions to start work on someone else's code.
(02:11:28 PM) mrevell: Instead, you create your own branch and work on that. It's then easy to merge your changes back into the original branch.
(02:11:40 PM) mrevell: And hosting a branch publicly is really easy. All you need is a standard web server.
(02:12:02 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about Bazaar on its own on Wednesday at 20:00 UTC with Martin Pool.
(02:12:09 PM) mrevell: Launchpad makes Bazaar even more useful. One of the problems with distributed version control is that it can be hard to find all the branches associated with your project.
(02:12:29 PM) mrevell: Launchpad solves that. It has a browsable code catalogue for each project.
(02:12:37 PM) mrevell: Anyone can register their branch to show up in your project's branch list. You can see how active each branch is, read the developer's commit messages and create your own branch at any time.
(02:12:51 PM) mrevell: Importantly, Launchpad can either directly host the branches or mirror them. This means they're always available for anyone to create their own branch.
(02:13:11 PM) mrevell: Take a look at the branches for Ubuntu's Update Manager: https://code.launchpad.net/update-manager
(02:13:31 PM) mrevell: You can see the main branch but people have also created their own branches to work on their priorities. Bazaar makes it really easy for development to take different directions, while Launchpad helps make sure it's all accessible from one place.
(02:13:52 PM) mrevell: Now, take a look at the Bazaar project's branches: https://code.launchpad.net/bzr
(02:14:21 PM) mrevell: Notice the small bug icons? If you create a branch to fix specific bugs, you can link the branch to the relevant bug reports. The bug icons indicate there's a link.
(02:14:39 PM) mrevell: With a link between a bug report and the branch that fixes it, everyone can now easily get hold of a bug's solution.
(02:14:58 PM) mrevell: On that page you can also see several branches registered to the Bazaar Developers team. These are team branches.
(02:15:10 PM) mrevell: They're hosted centrally, on Launchpad, and only members of the Bazaar Developers team can commit to them.
(02:15:24 PM) mrevell: Team branches are ideal for working together on a major line of development. Anyone can still create their branch, though.
(02:15:41 PM) mrevell: Finally, Launchpad can make a continuous import of almost any CVS or Subversion repository hosted on the internet.
(02:15:49 PM) mrevell:  This means that you can create your own Bazaar branch of the code and your own line of development.
(02:16:02 PM) mrevell: With Bazaar's bzr-svn plugin, and the appropriate commit access, you can even commit your code back to Subversion repositories.
(02:16:21 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about hosting code with Launchpad here tomorrow at 20:00 with Jono Lange.
(02:16:35 PM) mrevell: Okay, onto translations!
(02:16:37 PM) mrevell: Launchpad Translations, formerly known as Rosetta, takes the pain out of translating software into different languages.
(02:16:52 PM) mrevell: Much of the free software world uses GNU's GetText. Developers put markers in their code to show where a GetText should insert a string of interface text.
(02:17:20 PM) mrevell: GetText uses a certain file format to store translated strings. Although it's simple enough, the truth is that translators shouldn't have to be coders.
(02:17:33 PM) mrevell: Launchpad shields translators from the underlying complexities and gives them a simple web interface.
(02:17:49 PM) mrevell: Launchpad currently works with 237 languages and has more than 760,000 strings in its database. Naturally, the same phrases occur in the interfaces of many applications.
(02:18:07 PM) mrevell: When someone is translating an application, Launchpad checks its database to see if it has already seen those strings in that language. If it has, it suggests them to the translator.
(02:19:04 PM) mrevell: Launchpad also gives teams three different ways to ensure they get the right balance between control of translations and encouraging community participation.
(02:19:36 PM) mrevell: From fully open - where anyone can translate - to restricted, where only pre-appointed translators can make translations.
(02:19:48 PM) mrevell: Of course, development work usually starts on a new release while the stable release is still in use. Launchpad allows multiple translation efforts to take place concurrently for the same project.
(02:19:58 PM) mrevell: So, translation can begin on a new release and continue on the stable release.
(02:20:17 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about Launchpad Translations in Carlos and Danilo's session at 18:00 UTC on Thursday.
(02:20:51 PM) mrevell: Launchpad's Blueprint Tracker is unique. It helps you track chunks of work associated with your project. Many of you will have come across blueprints when working on Ubuntu.
(02:21:23 PM) mrevell: A blueprint can be anything from a single sentence to a full specification, with information about who is involved and where it fits into your project's roadmap.
(02:21:41 PM) mrevell: Anyone can create a blueprint for a project. This is a great way for everyone to get involved in shaping the future of a project. However, the project's leaders get to choose the priority of each blueprint.
(02:22:06 PM) mrevell: Take a look at https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu
(02:22:16 PM) mrevell: Here you can see all the blueprints associated with Ubuntu. Not only can you see the priority of each blueprint but also:
(02:22:37 PM) mrevell: * Definition status - how well thought out and presented is the idea? Is it a full spec or just a one line scribble?
(02:22:50 PM) mrevell: * Progress - has work begun on it? Is a beta available? Is it delayed?
(02:22:59 PM) mrevell: * Assignee - who's responsible for making sure the blueprint is implemented?
(02:23:13 PM) mrevell: * Release - which release is this blueprint targeted to?
(02:23:41 PM) mrevell: With the Blueprint Tracker, you can also organise meetings, such as Ubuntu Developer Summits. Anyone can contribute to the meeting's agenda by suggesting which blueprints to discuss.
(02:23:55 PM) mrevell: You can see the agenda for UDS Mountain View at https://blueprints.launchpad.net/sprints/uds-mtv
(02:24:18 PM) mrevell: And like bugs, you can link blueprints to the code branches that implement them.
(02:24:30 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about the Blueprint Tracker in kiko's session at 18:00 UTC on Friday.
(02:25:00 PM) mrevell: Now onto the Answer Tracker!
(02:25:13 PM) mrevell: Mailing lists and web forums are traditionally where free software projects answer user support questions. However, it can be difficult to capture that knowledge and make it easily available to the community.
(02:25:34 PM) mrevell: Some people are also intimidated by mailing lists or the initiation rituals of some forums :)
(02:25:46 PM) mrevell: Launchpad's Answer Tracker is a simple way for people to ask questions about a project.
(02:25:55 PM) mrevell: Anyone can offer an answer and they original questioner can highlight the answer they found most useful.
(02:26:12 PM) mrevell: Members of a project's community can sign up to be support contacts, meaning they receive an email each time a new question is asked about that project.
(02:26:21 PM) mrevell: The Answer Tracker is the first part of Launchpad to be localised.
(02:26:37 PM) mrevell: People can ask questions in their own language(s). Support contacts can choose to receive notification of questions asked in their preferred languages.
(02:26:59 PM) mrevell: Importantly, all of the questions and answers are easily searchable, meaning that they build into a knowledge-base for the project.
(02:27:18 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about Launchpad's Answer Tracker in Francis and Alan's session at 19:00 UTC on Wednesday.
(02:28:50 PM) mrevell: So, what is the future for Launchpad?
(02:28:58 PM) mrevell: We're working to add new features to Launchpad and you can get a first taste by joining the Launchpad Beta Testers team..
(02:29:12 PM) mrevell: You can sign up at:
(02:29:12 PM) mrevell: https://launchpad.net/~launchpad-beta-testers
(02:29:56 PM) mrevell: As I said earlier, Launchpad was created to make it easy for the Ubuntu community to create the best operating system in the world :)
(02:30:35 PM) mrevell: However, we think Launchpad is ready for other communities and projects to start using it in earnest.
(02:31:36 PM) mrevell: Recently, Zope and SilvaCMS started using Launchpad's Bug Tracker. We've also seen many other projects, including PledgeBank, WengoPhone and Creative Commons start to use Translations.
(02:31:47 PM) mrevell: Thank you so much for your interest in Launchpad.
(02:32:10 PM) mrevell: I hope that I've given you a taster of what Launchpad is all about.
(02:32:46 PM) mrevell: You can find out more about each individual tool, and ask detailed technical questions, in the other Launchpad sessions
(02:32:58 PM) mrevell: We'd love to hear what you think about Launchpad and to hear your questions. Join us in #launchpad, or on the launchpad-users mailing list:
(02:33:08 PM) mrevell: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/launchpad-users
(02:33:15 PM) mrevell: We also have user meetings in #launchpad. We'll have the next one on 2nd May at 16:00 UTC. Add your questions to the agenda at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LaunchpadUserMeeting/2007-05-02
(02:33:24 PM) mrevell: Please join kiko for the Launchpad Q&A session tomorrow at 18:00 UTC.
(02:33:40 PM) mrevell: I'll now read your questions in the other channel and answer as many as I'm able :)

<harrisony> COMMENT: Launchpad pwns all!

• Thank you for your comment :-D

<unimatrix9> QUESTION : how many people use launchpad at this very moment? And is it all Ubuntu or more?

• You can find cool stats about Launchpad just by browsing around it. For example: https://launchpad.net/people. Open the stats portlet in the left-hand menu and you'll see that 966086 people have registered in Launchpad so far. You can also see there are nearly a thousand projects registered in Launchpad. Some of those projects may not have been registered officially, but instead by someone who wants to import code into Bazaar from a Subversion repository, for example. I hope that answers your question.

<neuro_> QUESTION: What other improvements are planned for launchpad in the future?

• All the improvements and new features for Launchpad will have the aim of making it easier for people to work together on free software projects. Rather than go into details right now, I'll instead invite you to keep an eye on the Launchpad Beta Testers team, where you can try out new features as we take them into private beta.

<harrisony> QUESTION: With malone how it can get bug info from other trackers, is anything similar to that planned for rosetta?

• BjornT would be the best person to go into the technical detail of how the bug tracker watches external trackers. I'm not aware of any web-based services that have the same scope as Launchpad Translations. However, we do import upstream translations already. I'm sure carlos and danilo, the Translations guys, would love to hear your feature requests, though. Or email me and I'll ensure they get to the right people.

<Niwatori> QUESTION: if we translate some apps on rosetta, for example GIMP, will our translation sent / to be used by the GIMP translation, or it will be redundant translation, the main GIMP and the launchpad/Ubuntu one

• If you translate the GIMP packages in Ubuntu, then your translations will be used in Ubuntu, so they won't be redundant. We don't automatically push translations upstream to The GIMP, though. The translations are totally. The translations are totally available to upstreams to use, though, of course. They're available as standard GetText files. If you'd like to make suggestions, we'd love to hear them though. Please mail me or join us in #launchpad or any of the other ways of contacting us that I mentioned earlier.

<Belutz> QUESTION: for translation, which one do you recommend to be translated first? and in the packages list there are also some lib packages, is it have to be translated too?

• The first thing to do is to approach the project/community you hope to translate for. For example, Ubuntu LoCo teams often look after the translations for their locality's language(s). So, ask them what they see as a priority for translation. You can, though, easily see which packages are most in need of translation by looking at the bar chart for each package in a language. As for libs, I believe that only user-interface text is made available. However, you can check that with carlos or danilo.

<unimatrix9> QUESTION : is launchpad being monitored so it will not collapse under to many items? ( is there an limit set ? )

• Yes! Launchpad has a dedicated team of developers and sysadmins, as well as many many servers in a world-class data centre. Launchpad is very much extensible.

<ditsch> QUESTION: Is there a thought about merging/collaborating the answer tracker with the mailing lists and/or the forum to get a wider knowledgebase?

• That's an interesting suggestion and I think you should join the beta team to be amongst the first to see new features in that area.

<deniz_ogut> QUESTION: What's the license type of Launchpad. If its not GPL or Free in general; why?

• I was waiting for that one Briefly, Launchpad's code is not distributed, nor are any binaries. Launchpad is currently only available as a web service, much as Google Mail is. However, we have contributed back to free software projects and we do have plans for releasing more of Launchpad as free software. As for why it isn't released as free software at the moment: we believe that we can make Launchpad work best for the community, and specifically for Ubuntu, by managing it as one web service for the moment. However, Mark S has stated - several times - that we plan to open Launchpad in the future.

<mc44> mrevell: QUESTION: How does Canonical plan to make money from Launchpad? Is it already making revenue for you?

• That's an interesting question, thanks. Canonical's plan for Launchpad is that it should provide a really great infrastructure for managing the Ubuntu family. In providing Launchpad to free software projects, we hope that we can bring those benefits to the wider community too. So, our aim for Launchpad is to provide great infrastructure. That's the only plan I know about.

(02:55:28 PM) mrevell: Okay, so, I'm coming to the end of my session! I think I've covered everyone's questions. We have a couple of minutes though if you want to shove another one in!
(02:55:45 PM) mrevell: Don't forget Kiko's dedicated Launchpad Q&A session tomorrow

<harrisony> QUESTION: is there a test launchpad server because i wana see what launchpad can do but dont want to create a project called test and spam launchpad

• Good question. Yes, we do have test servers. Or, I should say, a test environment. Forgive me, following the public beta release I'm not sure of its current status. If you could mail me or join kiko's session tomorrow, I'll get you a good answer

(02:57:32 PM) mrevell: Okay, thanks again everyone.
(02:57:55 PM) mrevell: amarillion: Not only do you have a great nick but that's a great question. poningru, great question too. Can I suggest you join kiko's session tomorrow?
(02:58:02 PM) mrevell: As we've run out of time for this evening.
(02:58:09 PM) mrevell: Thank you everyone
(02:58:13 PM) mrevell: matthew DOT revell AT canonical DOT com
(02:58:15 PM) mrevell: email me any time
(02:58:20 PM) mrevell: I'd love to hear from you.