David Planella

All-remote audio/video setup upgrade

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:58:17 +0000

After being tasked with delivering the Community keynote at GitLab’s internal Contribute 2021 event, I decided it was high time to refresh my A/V setup to step up streaming quality a notch.

This is a work in progress post, but after someone asked, I thought I’d share what I did in case it can be of use to anyone.

Starting point:

A decent HD webcam for audio and video (Logitech C920)
A decent set of speakers and headphones (Creative Gigaworks T3, Logitech Marshall Monitor). The speakers had already started developing a noise and needed to be replaced

Goals:

A new life for a changing table

Wed, 19 Jun 2019 23:10:51 +0000

Or vice versa: on restoring an antique baby changing table for our newborn.

As we were getting the room ready for our first child, we came across this interesting piece of furniture. The previous owner told us that the original chest of drawers must have been built in the 50s or 60s. It had been repurposed with the tabletop at some point and used in the family ever since.

We took it home on the spot.

GitLab All Remote at Remote Work Roundtable

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 18:00:00 +0000

Slides
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Reactions
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The first #remotework Meetup in Munich is happening on the 27th February at 19:00 at the Google Offices 🙌

We have @dplanella from @gitlab, @phlsa from @mozilla and myself on the agenda! Super excited to kick this off 💯

Please signup here: https://t.co/jSQY4Tgenx pic.twitter.com/cBhlhea4xA

Hand tool rack with French cleat

Sun, 11 Nov 2018 17:30:00 +0000

Making a French cleat for a solid and portable tool rack.

A couple of years ago I built a rather spartan hand tool rack, also known as chisel rack or till. I might write more about it at some point, but for what relates to this post, I attached directly to the wall at our old place.

The house was an Art Nouveau building from 1915, with solid brick walls. I used wall plugs and long slotted brass screws for the classic look. Simple and effective. The downside was quite a few holes in the wall, which were a bit of a pain to restore when we repainted the wall before moving out.

Volkswagen bus engine codes

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 13:08:00 +0000

All engines in Volkswagen Type 2 busses from 1968 to 1979 were stamped with a serial number, including a two-letter code. Here’s a vintage bus owner’s guide on how to decypher the engine code.

Quick links
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Engine types
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The full VW line, 1968. Left to right: Type 3 (Fastback), Type 4 (Squareback), Type 1 (Beetle), Type 14 (Kharmann-Ghia), Type 2 (Transporter)

Volkswagen vehicles of the era were classified into platforms that described their type. Type 1 (Beetle) and Type 2 (Transporter) were two of the most popular ones.

How to bench bleed hydraulic valve lifters

Fri, 04 May 2018 18:56:00 +0000

A quick guide on removing air from hydraulic valve lifters (bleeding), such as those used on the fuel-injected VW Type 2 bus.

Why do hydraulic lifters need bleeding?
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The main goal is to ensure that before installation, hydraulic lifters are properly filled with oil and oil only. By bleeding them, unwanted air is removed from the lifters.

Timing a VW bus engine

Thu, 21 Dec 2017 23:00:00 +0000

This post is currently a draft

Quickstart
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Pick the timing method you want to perform to see how it’s done. Alternatively, read on for more information on timing a Type 4 engine.

Timing procedure	Usage	Pros	Cons
Static	First motor start after a rebuild or distributor replacement. It’s not yet possible to use one of the other two timing methods	Motor does not need to be started, easiest procedure of all	Not fully accurate. Timing needs to be double-checked and often readjusted using one of the other dynamic methods
Dynamic @ Idle	New motor, or if the distributor and motor have been well maintained or rebuilt	Accuracy, easy adjustment	Might not fully apply to old engines
Dynamic @ Full mech. advance	Recommended method for older engines or distributors and prolonged life	Accuracy, compensates timing for engine/distributor wear, adjustment made at a more demanding engine condition	Slightly more involved, as the throttle needs to be actuated during the reading

On timing
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Ignition timing of the engine, or simply timing in short, is the process of manually setting the point in time where the spark will occur to ignite the fuel/air mixture.

VW Type 2 ECU part number reference

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 19:32:00 +0000

Starting with model year 1975, VW busses of the era featured fuel injection via Bosch’s L-Jetronic system, with an analog Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to manage fuel induction. Over the years Bosch and VW produced different types of ECUs, with a plethora of part numbers. This guide seeks to provide a reference to their application and interchangeability.

Part numbers and interchangeability
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Model year	California Manual Part # (VW, Bosch) Description	California Automatic Part # (VW, Bosch) Description	Federal Manual Part # (VW, Bosch) Description	Federal Automatic Part # (VW, Bosch) Description
1974	n/a n/a n/a	022-906-021-K 0 280 000 113 (412E) Model 74 USA, similar to 0 280 000 101, but different adjustments.	n/a n/a n/a	n/a n/a n/a
1975	022-906-021-L 0 280 000 108 Model 75 USA, with plastic support frame; with intake air correction, post-start enrichment; anti-bucking circuitry and RPM limiter.	022-906-021-M 0 280 000 117 Model 75 automatic, same as 108, but without anti-bucking circuitry.	022-906-021-H 0 280 000 122 Model 75 USA, same as 108, without RPM limiter.	022-906-021-J 0 280 000 124 Model 75 USA automatic, same as 108, without RPM limiter or anti-bucking circuit.
1976	022-906-021-Q 0 280 000 141 Model 76 California, with intake air correction	022-906-021-R 0 280 000 145 Model 76 California, with intake air correction	022-906-021-N 0 280 000 139 Model 76 USA, with intake air correction	022-906-021-P 0 280 000 143 Model 76 USA automatic, with intake air correction
1977	022-906-021-AA 0 280 000 153 Model 77 California, with RPM limiter	022-906-021-AB 0 280 000 155 Model 77 California, with RPM limiter	022-906-021-S 0 280 000 149 Model 77 USA, without full load correction	022-906-021-T 0 280 000 151 Model 77 USA automatic, with intake air correction
1978	022-906-021-AE 0 280 000 164 Model 78 USA, same as 153, but without acceleration enrichment	022-906-021-AF 0 280 000 168 Model 78 USA, same as 164, but without anti-bucking circuitry.	022-906-021-AG 0 280 000 166 Model 78 Sweden, same as 153, but with acceleration enrichment (with throttle position sensor?)	022-906-021-AH 0 280 000 170 Model 78 Sweden, same as 166, but without anti-bucking circuitry
1979	039-906-021D 0 280 000 182 Model 79 California, with Lambda control	039-906-021E 0 280 000 184 Model 79 California automatic, same as 182, but without anti-bucking circuitry.	039-906-021-B 0 280 000 178 Model 79, with RPM limiter.	039-906-021-C 0 280 000 180 Model 79 automatic, same as 170 with reworked circuitry
1980	071-906-021B 0 280 000 194 (Vanagon) Model 80 California, same as 182, but with different adjustments and component placement	071-906-021B 0 280 000 194 (Vanagon) Model 80 California, same as 182, but with different adjustments and component placement	039-906-021-E 0 280 000 184 ** (Vanagon) Model 79 automatic California, same as 182, but without anti-bucking circuit.	039-906-021-C 0 280 000 180 (Vanagon) Model 79 automatic, same as 170 with reworked circuitry

A quick look at the insides of my spare ECU, a 039 906 021 B for a Federal 1979 bus

ECU capabilities
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Most of the L-Jetronic ECUs in VW busses operate in an open control loop, by sensing engine speed and load as the essential inputs, and converting them to injection time (t_i) as output for each driving condition. The last model year (1979) featured a closed control loop with a lambda sensor to sense and feed back the air/fuel mixture density.

VW Type 2 L-Jetronic connector pinout

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 17:00:00 +0000

A quick visual reference to the pinout (wiring) of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) used in the 1975-1979 VW Type 2 bus, from the harness side. The ECU was at the heart of the fuel injection system Volkswagen chose to reduce emissions and for better fuel economy: Bosch’s L-Jetronic.

Connector pinout
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L-Jetronic 35-pin female connector pinout (harness side)

Harness schematic
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Hand-drawn harness schematic. To be ported to CAD if I ever have the time.

VW bus spark plugs service

Fri, 27 Oct 2017 20:29:00 +0000

… for Type 1 and Type 4 engines (1968-1979)

Service and specifications
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A	Value	Notes
Inspect every	10,000 km (6,000 mi)	From "So wird's gemacht" manual: - Inspect: 10K km - Replace: 20K km
Replace every	24,000 km (15,000 mi)	The FI engine originally used long-life spark plugs. If NGK plugs are used, their replacement interval is 30,000 mi. (48,000 km).
Type	NGK B5ES NGK B5HS	Type 4 engine Type 1 engine Modern replacement for originally recommended spark plugs in the Owner's Manual (see appendix for reference). Part number codes: B: 14 mm thread 5: heat range (lower is hotter) E: 19 mm thread reach / H: 12.7 mm thread reach S: copper core center electrode. Trivalent metal plating on the threadprovides anti-corrosion and anti-seizing properties. Longevity: 30,000 mi. (48,000 km). Other than old stock, only the BR5ES (with 5 kOhm resistor) type is currently available
Air gap	0.7 mm (0.028") 0.6 mm (0.024")	Fuel injection engine (Type 4) Carbureted engines (Type 1, Type 4)
Torque	30 N·m (22 lb·ft)	NGK recommends 18-21.6 lb·ft (25-30 N·m) for aluminum heads. There is also a spark plug torque discussion at The Samba forum.
Thread size	M14 x 1.25 x 20.8 mm	Diameter x pitch x hexagon size.
Thread reach	19 mm
Hex socket size	21 mm

Installation tips
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👉 Do the removal and installation with a cold engine. Metal expands when it’s hot. The aluminium heads expand more than the spark plug when heated up, with the consequence that the spark plug can be fastened in place.
👉 Clean up the spark plug holes before installation. You don’t want to torque against dirt or debris.
👉 Finger tight the sparkplugs first, then use a torque wrench set at the specified torque.
💡 Your fingers won’t reach to the spark plug sockets where the engine tin covering them is higher. You can use a small section of fuel hose plugged into the spark plug’s terminal end snuggly. Then do the installation from the rubber hose with longer reach.
💡 Consider removing only one spark plug wire at a time. That way there is no chance of possibly getting the spark plug wires mixed up.
💡 The firing order for all air-cooled Volkswagen engines is 1-4-3-2, so make sure the plug wires go around the distributor cap clockwise in that order.
💡 You should use a torque wrench for installation. Consider investing in one if you don’t have it, or borrowing it from someone. If you are intending to continue servicing your bus yourself, you’ll be using it for many other maintenance procedures. In a pinch, if you are in a situation where a torque wrench is not available, you can install the spark plugs finger tight and then add another quarter turn (90°) with a hex wrench.

FAQ
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Installing Gollum with SSL authentication and Disqus comments on Ubuntu

Sun, 15 Oct 2017 06:51:00 +0000

⚠️ This article is several years old by now. If you’re planning to self-host a wiki, you might want to look at more modern, containerized, and better maintained alternatives than Gollum.

Gollum is a simple wiki that uses git for revision control and markdown syntax for editing. It is also the engine that powers Github’s and GitLab’s wikis. It can be easily set up for either a collaborative or personal wiki.

VW Type 2 fuel injection vacuum hose guide

Wed, 11 Oct 2017 21:47:00 +0000

For the ‘74-‘79 fuel-injected Bay Window bus (Type 2)

Vacuum hose identification
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No.	Part No.	Description	Inside diameter	Outside diameter	Length	Material	Notes
1	n/a	Hose (brake booster)	—	13 mm	—	Hard tubing, black	—
2	022 133 083 D	Elbow	—	—	—	—	—
3	071 133 086	Hose (decel valve to brake booster)	13 mm	15 mm	250 mm	Hard tubing, transparent, vinyl	Vanagon part number, but same hose
4	N 90402301	Hose (decel valve to brake booster)	14 mm	19 mm	65 mm	Braided rubber	In some fiches the outside diameter is 18 mm
5	022 201 919	Molded hose (decel valve to S-boot)	19 mm	24.5 mm	370 mm	Braided rubber
6	022 133 215 A	Y-piece	—	—	—	—
7	N 0202903	Hose (S-boot to aux. air regulator) braided	12 mm	19 mm	210 mm	Braided rubber
8	N 10123801	Hose (intake manifold to aux.air regulator)	13 mm	20 mm	—	Braided rubber
9	022 129 637	Elbow	12 mm	16 mm	47 mm	Rubber	90° elbow
9a	n/a	Intermediate piece	n/a	13 mm	30 mm	Steel	Not in the picture
10	N 10098001	Clamp	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	18.5 x 7 x 0.60
11	N 0245223	Clamp	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	60-80 x 9 x 0.50
12	029 129 967 AC	Hose (S-boot)	n/a	n/a	n/a
13	025 133 199	Intermediate piece	TBD	22 mm	38 mm	Steel or nylon	More info
14	022 129 973 C	Hose (crankcase breather)	21 mm	26 mm	350mm	Braided rubber
15	039 133 241	Connecting hose	—	—	—	—
16	022 129 707 F	Seal	—	—	—	—
17	311 133 261 A	Injector locator bush (inner)	—	—	—	—

Vacuum control hose identification
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No.	Part No.	Description	Inside diameter	Outside diameter	Length	Material	Notes
-	N 020 291 1	Hose connector	3.5 mm	5.5 mm	40 mm	Braided rubber hose	Alternative: N 0203122, 4x1.75 rubber hose
1	"	"	"	"	40 mm	"	"
2	"	"	"	"	120 mm	"	"
3	113 201 943 B	T.piece	-	4 mm	-	-	-
4	N 0201391	Ported vacuum tube	2 mm	4 mm	Variable	n/a
5	7M0 955 961 B	Manifold vacuum tube	3 mm	5 mm	Variable	PA 6 nylon (hard tubing, white)	Alternative: 867 955 961 A is the same part, just different length

Vacuum control hose routing
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How to change oil on a Volkswagen Type 4 engine

Fri, 21 Apr 2017 10:03:00 +0000

The guide is geared towards a bus, but for the most part it should apply to other models and makes equipped with the same engine (VW Type 4, Porsche 912E, Porsche 914). For simplicity, and with the hobbyist with the basic toolset in mind, the bus is kept on the ground. A seasoned mechanic with access to heavier equipment would most probably lift the vehicle.

While the whole process, including oil strainer cleaning and oil filter replacement is described, they are not necessary to do at each oil change. Check the service intervals on your owner’s manual to decide when you need to do these.

VW bus underfloor

Thu, 29 Sep 2016 06:00:00 +0000

I took some pictures while my bus was being lifted, for reference and to assess the status of everything under-floor.

The pictures were stitched together into one, so the perspective is not always right.

Ubuntu is about people

Mon, 14 Dec 2015 20:15:00 +0000

Ubuntu has been around for just over a decade. That’s a long time for a project built around a field that evolves at such a rapid pace as computing. And not just any computing –software made for (and by) human beings, who have also inevitably grown and evolved with Ubuntu.

Over the years, Ubuntu has changed and has lead change to keep thriving in such a competitive space. The first years were particularly exciting: there was so much to do, countless possibilities and plenty of opportunities to contribute.

The Ubuntu Online Summit starts next week

Thu, 29 Oct 2015 14:17:00 +0000

Starting on Tuesday 3rd to Thursday 5th of November, a new edition of the Ubuntu Online Summit is taking place next week.

Three days of free and live content all around Ubuntu and Open Source: discussions, tutorials, demos, presentations and Q+As for anyone to get in touch with the latest news and technologies, and get started contributing to Ubuntu.

The tracks
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As in previous editions, the sessions runs along multiple tracks that group related topics as a theme:

Announcing the UbuCon Summit

Wed, 21 Oct 2015 20:53:00 +0000

I am thrilled to announce the next big event in the Ubuntu calendar: the UbuCon Summit, taking place in Pasadena, CA, in the US, from the 21st to 22nd of January 2016, hosted at SCaLE and with Mark Shuttleworth on the opening keynote.

Taking UbuCons to the next level
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UbuCons are a remarkable achievement from the Ubuntu community: a network of conferences across the globe, organized by volunteers passionate about Open Source and about collaborating, contributing, and socializing around Ubuntu. The UbuCon at SCALE has been one of the most successful ones, and this year we are kicking it up a notch.

Announcing the next Ubuntu Online Summit

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 16:47:00 +0000

The 15.04 release frenzy over, but the next big event in the Ubuntu calendar is just around the corner. In about a week, from the 5th to 7th of May, the next edition of the Ubuntu Online Summit is taking off. Three days of sessions for developers, designers, advocates, users and all members of our diverse community.

Along the developer-oriented discussions you’ll find presentations, workshops, lightning talks and much more. It’s a great opportunity for existing and new members to get together and contribute to the talks, watch a workshop to learn something new, or ask your questions to many of the rockstars who make Ubuntu.

The Ubuntu Community Donations Program in review

Tue, 14 Apr 2015 19:54:00 +0000

Nearly two years ago, the Ubuntu Community Donations Program was created as the framework behind the donations page on the Ubuntu site. Time to look back, listen and adjust.

With the Ubuntu Community Donations Program those individuals who download Ubuntu for free can choose to support the project financially with a voluntary contribution. In doing so, they can use a set of sliders to determine which parts of the project the amount they donate goes to (Ubuntu Desktop, Ubuntu for phone, Ubuntu for tablet, Ubuntu on public clouds, Cloud tools, Ubuntu Server with OpenStack, Community projects, Tip to Canonical).

The Ubuntu Scope Showdown - progress showcase

Tue, 11 Nov 2014 21:15:00 +0000

Over a week ago, we announced the Ubuntu Scope Showdown: a competition to write a scope for Ubuntu on phones in 5 weeks and win exciting prizes.

Scopes are Ubuntu’s innovative take at revolutionizing the content and services experience. For users, they provide quick and intuitive access to content without the need of loading an app. For developers and operators, scopes provide an easy path to surface their content and customize the UX in a way that is very flexible and integrated.

A new era for the Ubuntu community team, or business as usual

Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:06:00 +0000

A sample of the wider Ubuntu Community team, with Canonicalers and volunteer core app developers

Jono’s leadership, passion and drive to continually push the boundaries have been contagious over the years, and have been the catalyst for growing the unique community of individuals that defines Ubuntu today.

He is now joining the ranks of non-Canonical Ubuntu members, and while this will change the angle of participation, I’m certain that it won’t change his energy and dedication one bit. But most importantly, it’s a testament to his work that his former team will continue to thrive and take up the torch in pushing those boundaries.

Internationalizing your apps at the Ubuntu App Developer Week

Tue, 04 Mar 2014 16:23:00 +0000

As part of the Ubuntu App Developer Week, I just ran a live on-air session on how to internationalize your Ubuntu apps.

Some of the participants on the live chat asked me if I could share the slides somewhere online. So here they are for your viewing pleasure :)

If you’ve got any questions on i18n or in Ubuntu app development in general, feel free to ask in the comments or ping me (dpm) on IRC.

The Ubuntu Core Apps Hack Days are back!

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:39:00 +0000

Core Apps Hack days are an easy way for app developers to get started contributing to one of the most important and visible parts of Ubuntu, and learn and share knowledge with an exciting community of some of the best Open Source developers around. As core app developer Riccardo Padovani, puts it:

I started contributing to Ubuntu Touch with a Core App Hack Day in July and I still have not stopped!

Announcing the first Ubuntu App Dev Schools

Tue, 21 Jan 2014 15:26:00 +0000

Following the call for volunteers to organize App Dev Schools across the globe, we’re excited to say that there are already events planned in 3 different countries. Every single App Dev School will help growing our community of app developers and drive adoption of our favourite free OS on all devices, everywhere.

Our LoCo community has got an incredible track record for organizing release parties, Ubuntu Hours, Global Jams, and all sorts of meet-ups for Ubuntu enthusiasts and folks who are new to Ubuntu. Ubuntu App Developer Schools are very new, but in the same way LoCos are, they’re going to become crucial in the new era of mobile devices and convergence. So we would like to see more of them and we need your help!

A quickstart guide to the Ubuntu phone emulator

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 14:24:00 +0000

Following the initial announcement, the Ubuntu emulator is going to become a primary Engineering platform for development.

Quoting Alexander Sack, when ready, the goal is to

[…] start using the emulator for everything you usually would do on the phone. We really want to make the emulator a class A engineering platform for everyone

While the final emulator is still work in progress, we’re continually seeing the improvements in finishing all the pieces to make it a first-class citizen for development, both for the platform itself and for app developers. However, as it stands today, the emulator is already functional, so I’ve decided to prepare a quickstart guide to highlight the great work the Foundations and Phonedations teams (along with many other contributors) are producing to make it possible. While you should consider this as guide as a preview, you can already use it to start getting familiar with the emulator for testing, platform development and writing apps.

Make Ubuntu speak your language

Tue, 14 Jan 2014 15:27:00 +0000

With our favourite OS expanding to yet another order of magnitude, every contribution is becoming even more important. And with phones shipping all over the globe, multilingual support and Ubuntu translators are going to be one of the keys to Ubuntu’s success.

In the same way you’ve helped us bring an excellent localized experience to the desktop throughout the years, we now need your help ensuring the phone reaches that level of excellence too. Once more, you can bring Ubuntu on phones to millions in their language.

Speak to me of swing

Sun, 05 Jan 2014 19:27:00 +0000

Over an hour of timeless old and new tunes to dance swing to, spanning from 1924 to 2013.

Celebrating the new year with a selection of the favourite songs from various 2013 DJ sessions at the SwingKultur ballroom, Cafe Stella, the Erdgeschoss club in Stuttgart and the Schlosscafé in Tübingen.

Enjoy!

Also on 8tracks

Lucky Lindy by Confetta under a CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license

Ubuntu Reminders app gets Evernote authentication

Fri, 22 Nov 2013 00:40:57 +0000

We’ve been making good progress with Reminders, the Ubuntu app powered by Evernote. While our team of developers have been busy working on the UI, a set of other equally awesome individuals have been working in parallel to implement the backend pieces.

Today, I’m thrilled to announce that the Evernote Online Accounts provider is now available for Ubuntu as a preview. This plugin enables secure login to Evernote via OAuth, and handles the authentication process via the standard Ubuntu platform APIs, so that the Reminders app does not even have to care about the logic.

Empowering LoCo teams at UDS

Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:26:19 +0000

With Ubuntu now running across all form factors and devices and entering the mobile space, a new era begins.

The challenge
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While our values remain the same, we’ve now faced with a unique opportunity to drive adoption of our favourite Free Software OS to a user base that could potentially be one or two orders of magnitude bigger.

So long, and thanks for all the swing

Tue, 17 Sep 2013 18:15:00 +0000

A mix to bid farewell to Valencia, to say “hi!” to Stuttgart, and to thank some awesome people for the many, many hours of swing danced and played there.

I’ve picked a selection of songs from the latest DJ sessions: a mixture of new and old swing, with the usual New Orleans tunes and a tint of gipsy. But most of all, music to bring good vibes.

Enjoy!

Also on 8tracks.

Upcoming Qreator release - call for translations

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:41:44 +0000

We’re preparing a new release of Qreator, the QR code creator for Ubuntu, to be published in the next few days.

This release adds a few new strings and quite a bunch of new features, including a new design, new QR codes, and the ability to edit the QR codes you create.

Kudos to everyone who has contributed translations in the past: thanks to you the development release Qreator is already fully translated in 10 languages. There are other 26 languages that are nearly completed and are only missing the newly-added strings. A very special mention goes also to the unstoppable Stefan Schwarzburg, whose contributions have been invaluable in putting the upcoming release together.

Rhythm Junkies live at Spirit Swing House

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 17:20:00 +0000

The Rhythm Junkies playing the intro during their performance at Spirit Swing House on January 4th, 2013.

Enjoy one of the best modern swing bands live!

The end of the world is nigh, so swing it!

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 19:23:00 +0000

The end of the world got postponed… again. But hey, why skip the celebration?

Enjoy this session from the 21st Dec 2012 at the XtraLarge club in Valencia, where Apocalypse meant just another excuse for a memorable party and the best swing music to dance to.

Also on 8tracks.

Grim Reaper End of the World Tour 2012 by scottspaeth, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Join the Ubuntu Community Docs Jam today

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 19:50:19 +0000

It’s Community Docs Jam today!

We want to fix the www.ubuntu.com/community page to better represent our community, and who better than our community to help providing that content?

So come along today, pick an area you’re interested in and give us a hand adding content.

Join the Ubuntu Community Docs Jam ›

Image: Binded Document, CC-BY 2.0 by Sean MacEntee

Qreator

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 22:50:00 +0000

Qreator is an Ubuntu app to easily create your own QR codes.

Encode different types of information in an efficient, compact and cool way.

Get it free for Ubuntu! ›

Qreator is Open Source software, brought to you free of charge.

If you find it useful, you might consider contributing, sharing or just saying “Thanks” in the comments :)

Thursday night swing session @ XL

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 19:28:00 +0000

Over one hour of swing music for lindy hoppers from the Thursday night session at the XtraLarge club in Valencia

Enjoy!

Also on 8tracks.

Monday night swing session #1 @ Spirit

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:31:00 +0000

Two hours of swing music for lindy hoppers from my first session ever as swing DJ, on the Monday Jam night at Spirit Swing House in Valencia. It was lots of fun, hope you enjoy it too!

Also on 8tracks.

“Cassidy & The Orleans Kids en Spirit Swing House” by Vicente Mallols - http://bit.ly/RBfYfi

When I Hear a Syncopated Tune

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 18:34:00 +0000

Eight light, upbeat swing tunes including Squirrel Nut Zippers, Red Hook Ramblers, The Cangelosi Cards and more.

Track list
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Prince Nez by Squirrel Nut Zippers
Dinah by The Hot Sardines
Lina’s Blues by Smoking Time Jazz Club
Some Of These Days by Ingrid Lucia & the Flying Neutrinos
My Blue Heaven by The Cangelosi Cards
When You’re Smiling by Mona’s Hot Four
I’m Through With You by Red Hook Ramblers
Was I? by Madeleine Peyroux

Also available on 8tracks.

New Orleans Tunes

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:37:00 +0000

Ten tracks from modern New Orleans bands that bring the old sound and joy for the music to the present, including Cassidy & The Orleans Kids, Smoking Time Jazz Club, Tuba Skinny and more.

This mix was brought to you with lots of love (and Open Source). Enjoy!

Track list
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Moan You Moaners by The Palmetto Bug Stompers
The End of the Day (An Absence of Gin) by Laique
Mr. Jelly Lord by The Smoking Time Jazz Club
Joseph Joseph by Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns
Salty Dog by Cassidy & The Orleans Kids
You Rascal, You by Baby Soda
You Gonna Quit Me by Big Nasty
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me by Ingrid Lucia & the Flying Neutrinos
Crow Jane by Tuba Skinny
Mama’s Gone Goodbye by Shotgun Jazz Band

Also on 8tracks.

Heads up to all Ubuntu App Showdown participants

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 15:15:34 +0000

After reading the Ubuntu App Showdown subreddit, getting a few pings on G+ and IRC, it seems there are some showdown participants concerned about whether their app made it on time for the contest.

So here’s a quick heads up: don’t worry, if your app was submitted to MyApps on time, and complied with the contest requirements, it made it to the contest. If some of the requirements were not met, we’ve probably contacted you and given you a chance to meet them, as we appreciate the hard work you’ve put these last 3 weeks, and we want you to get in.

On greater capacity

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 16:01:20 +0000

Whenever you feel ignorant, remember that in every field there will always be someone with greater capacity than you - including ignorance.

@devops_jesus

Upcoming Ubuntu App Showdown Workshop: How I Made Qreator

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 19:49:37 +0000

Just a quick reminder that I’ll be running a Workshop for the Ubuntu App Showdown ~~in very few minutes~~. Update: the video is now live!

I’ll be talking about Qreator, an application I developed for quick creation of QR codes from the desktop. The idea is to explain how I put it together in order to help new app developers with an example where they can learn from and ask questions about.

The Ubuntu App Showdown is starting today!

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:05:18 +0000

You’ve probably read it in the news: as part of the ongoing initiative to make Ubuntu a target for app developers, we proudly announced the Ubuntu App Showdown contest last week.

The way it works is simple and the rules are well documented, so I won’t go into the details: in short, you’ve got 3 weeks to create a new app, submit it to MyApps and you can win awesome prizes, including 2 laptops from system76 and a many many Nokia N9 smartphones from the Qt project. So if you’ve always wanted to start application development in Ubuntu, that’s a unique opportunity!

Upcoming Ubuntu Open Week session - how to contribute translating Ubuntu

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:14:18 +0000

Just a heads up that in about 50 minutes, and as part of the Ubuntu Open Week, I’ll be talking again, this time about how to contribute translating Ubuntu.

So if you’re either interested in learning how to do it, or if you want to ask any questions, join me on IRC in the #ubuntu-classroom channel on Freenode.

See you there!

Upcoming Ubuntu Open Week session - submitting your apps to the Software Centre

Thu, 03 May 2012 14:50:06 +0000

Just a heads up that in about 15 minutes, and as part of the Ubuntu Open Week, I’ll be talking about how to submit apps to the Software Centre.

So if you’re either interested in learning how to do it, or if you want to ask any questions, join me on IRC in the #ubuntu-classroom channel on Freenode.

See you there!

Get the Ubuntu Online Tour on your LoCo site

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:00:41 +0000

I’m thrilled to announce the availability of the Ubuntu 12.04 Online Tour for local community teams to localize and use on their websites.

The tour has been the result of the stunning work done by Ant Dillon from the Canonical Web Design Team and should provide a web-based first impression of Ubuntu to new users, now in their language.

It’s a great opportunity to showcase Ubuntu to your local community to celebrate release day tomorrow.

Ubuntu Global Jam events: jamming Catalan style

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:08:56 +0000

If you follow the Ubuntu channels, and unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have noticed that this coming weekend we’re organizing the Ubuntu Global Jam, a worldwide event where Ubuntu local community teams (LoCos) join in a get-together fest to have some fun while improving Ubuntu.

As we’re ramping up to a Long Term Support release, this is a particularly important UGJ and we need all hands on deck to ensure that it does not only meet, but exceeds the high quality standard of previous Ubuntu LTS releases. This is another article in the series of blog posts showcasing the events our community is organizing, brought to you by Rafael Carreras, from the Ubuntu Catalan LoCo team.

Upcoming Ubuntu Global Jam events: here's how the Slovenian team rolls

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:15:50 +0000

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have noticed that this coming weekend we’re organizing the Ubuntu Global Jam, a worldwide event where Ubuntu local community teams (LoCos) join in a get-together fest to have some fun while improving Ubuntu.

As we’re ramping up to a Long Term Support release, this is a particularly important UGJ and we need every hand on deck to ensure it not only meets but exceeds the standard of previous Ubuntu LTS releases. This is another article in the series of blog posts showcasing the events our community is organizing, brought to you by Andrej Znidarsic, from the Ubuntu Slovenian LoCo team.

Ubuntu Global Jam Q+A Videocasts today!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:26:10 +0000

Ubuntu Global Jam Q+A Videocast

In preparation for the Ubuntu Global Jam event next weekend, Jono and I will be running Q+A videocasts today

Jono’s videocast will be more convenient for the Americas and in the evening in Europe:

11am Pacific / 7pm UTC/UK / 8pm CET – watch live here!

My videocast coming up in about 2 hours time and is more convenient for Europe and surrounding areas:

Ubuntu Precise Open for Translation

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:27:56 +0000

I am pleased to announce that our current development release, Ubuntu Precise, is now open for translation

Some additional information that will be useful for translators:

Translation schedule. Remember that according to the release schedule translatable messages might be subject to change until the User Interface Freeze on the week of the 23rd of February.
Language packs. During the development cycle, language packs containing translations will be released twice per week except for the freeze periods. This will allow users and translators to quickly see and test the results of translations.
Test and report bugs. If you notice any issues (e.g. untranslated strings or applications), do check with the translation team for your language first. If you think it is a genuine bug, please report it.
Learn more. Learn how to start translating Ubuntu and enable millions to use it in their language.

Ubuntu 12.04 will be a Long Term Support release, so let’s rally around translations to provide the best translated OS around and go over the mark of nearly 40 languages in which Ubuntu is fully translated!

Building the Ubuntu App Development community (I): communication channels

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:07:56 +0000

One of the main objectives for the Ubuntu 12.04 cycle is to build upon the foundations set by the Ubuntu App Developer site, My Apps and the Ubuntu Software Centre and start building an Ubuntu App Developer community to realize the vision of a rich ecosystem of apps around Ubuntu. This is the first of a series of posts that will discuss several aspects of this goal, how to get involved, and the benefits of Ubuntu as a target platform for both developers and users.

Dancing Lindy Hop at the park

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:44:39 +0000

Dancing away at the Turia park in Valencia last weekend. Not exactly to that music, but the author did an awesome job at filming and editing. Enjoy!

Translations sessions at the 12.04 Ubuntu Developer Summit

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 18:26:07 +0000

So now it’s the turn for the translations post!

For all of you interested in helping and being part of the effort of making Ubuntu available in any language, here’s a quick list with an overview of the Ubuntu Developer Summit sessions we’ve got in store this week.

Remember you can register your interest in sessions you want to attend or keep up to date with by using the Subscribe link on each session’s blueprint. The links in the list below will take you to the blueprints used to define the specifications for each feature or goal. You can also check out the full UDS schedule.

App developer sessions at the 12.04 Ubuntu Developer Summit

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:59:56 +0000

UDS is here again. Tomorrow another week packed with content that will define the plans for a new Ubuntu LTS release will start, and this time around application development will be a prominent topic.

So for all of you interested in helping and being part of the effort of making Ubuntu a platform of choice for application developers, here’s a quick list with an overview of the sessions we’ve got in store this week.

Translations and App development sessions today at the Ubuntu Open Week

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:31:37 +0000

Just a heads up that this week is Ubuntu Open Week!

Ubuntu Open Week is a series of online workshops where you can:

Learn about the Ubuntu landscape
Talk to some of the key developers from the Ubuntu project
Find out about the Community and its relationship with Canonical
Participate in an open Q&A with Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of Ubuntu. (*)

I’ll be running two sessions for everyone wanting to learn more about either translating Ubuntu or writing apps for Ubuntu (or both!):

Making Ubuntu available in 50 languages

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:59:25 +0000

Ubuntu 11.10 translations

Quoting the Ubuntu philosophy, one of our core values is to provide the ability for every computer user to use Ubuntu in their language of choice. This in turn is made possible by an army of volunteer translators, who throughout the development cycle and beyond, tirelessly put their translation skills to work in an outstanding feat to make a full operating system accessible to millions. As we’re ramping up to the Ubuntu 11.10 release in a few day’s time, there’s another important milestone for ensuring Ubuntu is available in as many languages as possible: the translations deadline on the 6th of October. Up until now, and considering the 80% coverage cut-off, Ubuntu 11.10, the Oneiric Ocelot, is translated in 38 languages, lead by the Slovenian team’s heroic effort of becoming the #1 team in the ranking.

Announcing the Ubuntu App Developer site

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:05:43 +0000

I’m thrilled to announce the launch of a significant milestone in the ongoing effort of making Ubuntu a target for app developers: the new Ubuntu App Developer site.

Developer.ubuntu.com should now be the central point of reference for any topics related to application development. From creation to publication: porting, sharing, contributing, finding information… a site that should grow organically to provide the tools, share the knowledge and act as the springboard to foster app proliferation and developer community growth in this exciting area.

Goodbye And Thanks For All the Apps: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 5 And Wrap-Up

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:45:58 +0000

Another edition of the Ubuntu App Developer Week and another amazing knowledge sharing fest around everything related to application development in Ubuntu. Brought to you by a range of the best experts in the field, here’s just a sample of the topics they talked about: App Developer Strategy, Bazaar, Bazaar Explorer, Launchpad, Python, Internationalization, Launchpad Translations, Unity, Unity 2D, Gedit Developer Plugins, the MyApps Portal, the App Review Board, the UbuntuSoftware Centre, Unity Mail, Launchpad Daily Builds, Ubuntu One APIs, Rapid App Development, Quickly, GooCanvas, PyGame, Unity Launcher, Vala, the App Developer Site, Indicators, Python Desktop Integration, Libgrip, Multitouch, Unity Lenses, Ubuntu One Files Integration, The Business Side of Apps, Go, Qt Quick… and more. Oh my!

All Good Things Come To An End: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:42:49 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4 Summary
#

Last day of UADW! While we’re watching the final sessions, here’s what happened yesterday:

Creating an App Developer Website: developer.ubuntu.com
#

By John Oxton and David Planella

Creating the concept and implementing a site for app developers is no easy task. The Ubuntu App Developer site is meant to be a place for app authors to get started with development, to find the information they need and to be able to publish their apps in the Software Centre. John explained all the research and user testing that happened behind the scenes, highlighting the key findings, while David focused on the purpose of the site, where it fits in the overall developer strategy for Ubuntu and the plans for the future.

Knowing Your Destination Is Half The Journey: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 16:33:57 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3 Summary
#

Time flies and we’re already halfway through UADW, but there is still much to come! Here’s yesterday report for your reading pleasure:

Unity Mail: Webmail Notification on Your Desktop
#

By Dmitry Shachnev

Starting off with a description of the features of Unity Mail, such as displaying webmail unread message count, notifications and mail subjects, we then learned more about how it was developed and the technologies that were used to create it. It’s written in Python, using GObject introspection (PyGI) and integrates with Ubuntu through the Unity, Notify and Indicate modules. After describing each one in more detail, Dmitry continued talking about how the app can be translated using Launchpad, and how he uses the Bazaar source revision control system to work with code history. Wrapping up, he went through the plans for the future: more configuration options, marking all messages as read and the need for a new icon. Any takers? ;)

Ramping Up: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:33:03 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2 Summary
#

Another app developer day is over and we’re nearly halfway through the week. Here’s what happened yesterday:

Making Your App Speak Languages with Launchpad Translations
#

By David Planella

In this session we learned how to link up an app that already has internationalization support to Launchpad Translations, so that it is exposed to Launchpad’s extensive community of translators who’ll effectively make your app speak almost any language. From setting up code hosting for a seamless integration, to setting up the translations settings to tips and tricks for best practices, the presentation should give developers a good grasp of how to start getting their apps translated and ready to reach a wider audience.

Great Is The Art Of Beginning: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:58:02 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1 Summary
#

The first day of Ubuntu App Developer Week is over and we’re ramping up to day 2! A great start and lots of interest in the audience. Here is a small summary from yesterday’s schedule.

Making Ubuntu a Target for App Developers
#

By Jonathan Lange

Ubuntu App Developer Week Starting Today

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:44:21 +0000

Kicking Off Ubuntu App Developer Week
#

The Ubuntu App Developer Week is starting today, so get ready for an awesome week full of exciting sessions and great speakers around the topic of application development in Ubuntu.

Here’s a taster of what’s in store today:

16:00 UTC - Making Ubuntu a Target for App Developers

Jono Lange will open the week explaining the strategy for app development in Ubuntu, telling us more about the latest developments and what we’re going to see in the next future. Make sure you’ve got all your questions lined up, as it will be a really interesting subject and Jono will be more than happy to answer them!

Announcing Ubuntu App Developer Week

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:14:36 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week
#

I’m thrilled to announce the next edition of Ubuntu AppDeveloperWeek, from the 5th to 9th September 2011 at #ubuntu-classroom on IRC.

Ubuntu App Developer Week is a week of sessions aimed at enabling and inspiring developers to write applications that scratch their itches. Our goal is to give all attendees a taste of the wide variety of tools on the Ubuntu platform that can be used to create awesome applications, and to showcase some applications that have been created and explain how they were put together.

Making Ubuntu a Platform for App Developers - The Survey

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 13:24:27 +0000

Making Ubuntu a Choice for App Developers
#

We want to put Ubuntu on the app development map. We want to provide a top level experience through a platform that makes it easy for developers to create applications and distribute them to millions.

The Ubuntu Software Centre provided a solid foundation and a springboard to the proliferation of an ecosystem of resources and projects aligned to deliver this vision. Matthew Paul Thomas and Evan Dandrea already layed out the path at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Orlando in 2010, and we’re seeing more and more news related to the work we’re doing while making this happen:

Looking for testers in London

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:51:06 +0000

This cycle I’m spending some of my time on a project outside the translations world: working with the awesome Web Design Team on a portal to attract and make it easy for developers to create and publish lightweight applications for Ubuntu.

As part of this work, we’ll be doing some user research on the 10th and 11th of August at the Canonical office in London, and we are looking for app developers to interview there.

Ubuntu Oneiric Open for Translation

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:23:17 +0000

After the first language packs have now been generated, I am pleased to announce that our current development release, Ubuntu Oneiric, is now open for translation:

Translation schedule. Remember that according to the release schedule translatable messages might be subject to change until the User Interface Freeze on the week of the 25th of August.
Language packs. During the development cycle, language packs containing translations will be released twice per week except for the freeze periods. This will allow users and translators to quickly see and test the results of translations.
Test and report bugs. If you notice any issues (e.g. untranslated strings or applications), do check with the translation team for your language first. If you think it is a genuine bug, please report it.
Learn More. Learn how to start translating Ubuntu and enable millions to use it in their language.

open 19 image by loop_oh – License: CC by-nd 2.0

New Translations Videocast: UDS O Translations Highlights

Wed, 18 May 2011 14:23:51 +0000

So, new Ubuntu cycle and time for a fresh translations videocast!

Join me tomorrow at the Ustream Ubuntu Translations channel, where I’ll give you a summary about the great sessions we had around translations last week at the Ubuntu Developer Summit in Budapest, where we discussed the plans for the next cycle: the Oneiric Ocelot. As usual, feel free to come along, ask your questions and have a chat around translating Ubuntu.

Ubuntu App Developer Week Day 5 and Wrap-up

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:59:25 +0000

What an awesome week for application developers. Ubuntu App Developer Week was a week of great speakers, great sessions, great participation, Multitouch, Unity, GObject, Introspection, PyGI, Qt, Qt Quick, QML, Internationalization, KDE, Phonon, Multimedia, Touchegg, Plasma Widgets, Python, Testing, Rapid Prototyping, Thunderbird, GStreamer, Zeitgeist, D-Bus, Ubuntu One, Bazaar, Lenses, Launcher API, Indicators, Launchpad, Translations, Application Review Process, Packaging, pkgme, the Sound Menu, and much much more.

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:04:04 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4 Summary
#

Ramping up to the end of the week we had another full app development goodness day, and one where the session topics fitted together in a nice workflow as well: creating bling, creating apps with Rapid Prototyping, getting them into Ubuntu, adding indicator support and translating them. Here’s the report of yesterday’s app development journey:

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:14:37 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3 Summary
#

Right into the middle of the week and still delivering the most diverse set of sessions from the most interesting technologies. QML, Cloud, D-Bus, Multitouch, Unity, Bazaar… Wednesday had a bit of everything. Most importantly, this sessions are for you all, so I was really glad to hear feedback on how people liked the content of App Developer Week! So here’s a new summary for all of those who couldn’t attend.

Ubuntu Bug Day Tomorrow: Translations Need Your Help!

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 19:48:34 +0000

We’ve prepared a Bug Day tomorrow to help report, triage and fix any bugs in translations for the upcoming Ubuntu Natty release.

Check out https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugDay/20110414 to see the tasks in which you can help, and join the bug squashing fest in the #ubuntu-bugs or #ubuntu-translators IRC channels on Freenode.

You’ll find more info below, from the original Bugsquad announcement:

Fellow Ubuntu Triagers!

This week's Bug Day targets are *drum roll please* *Ubuntu Translations*!

 * 28 New bugs need a hug
 * 32 Incomplete bugs need a status check
 * 17 Confirmed bugs need a review

Bookmark it, add it to your calendars, turn over those egg-timers!

 * 14 April 2011
 * https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugDay/20110414

Are you looking for a way to start giving some love back to your
adorable Ubuntu Project?

Did you ever wonder what Triage is? Want to learn about that?
This is a perfect time!, Everybody can help in a Bug Day!
open your IRC Client and go to #ubuntu-bugs (FreeNode) the BugSquad will
be happy to help you to start contributing!

Wanna be famous? Is easy! remember to use 5-A-day so if you do a good
work your name could be listed at the top 5-A-Day Contributors in the
Ubuntu Hall of Fame page!

We are always looking for new tasks or ideas for the Bug Days, if you
have one add it to the Planning page
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuBugDay/Planning

If you're new to all this, head tohttp://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs

Join in and help us bringing an awesome Ubuntu experience in any language!

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:59:32 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2 Summary
#

Wow, what a great follow-up to the first day! The second Ubuntu App Developer Week brought lots of awesome: great speakers and sessions, great participation, improvisation, Python, GTK, KDE, Qt, PyGI, Zeitgeist, Gstreamer, Introspection, Thunderbird, Unity, API Integration, hacking, fun… all the buzzwords you can associate when developing in your favourite Free Software Platform.

Off to a Great Start: Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 16:55:55 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1 Summary
#

A great start for a great week. Looking at the lots of participation and questions during the first day shows that developing applications in Ubuntu is a hot topic. Here is a small summary from yesterday’s schedule.

Enabling Multitouch and Gestures Using uTouch
#

By Chase Douglas and Stephen Webb

Ubuntu App Developer Week Kicks Off Today

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:57:43 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week kicks off today with a rich set of interesting sessions to showcase and teach how to develop awesome applications on the Ubuntu Platform.

It’s going to be on the #ubuntu-classroom IRC channel on Freenode, during the whole week, so be sure to add it to your calendars. If you can’t make it to a session, don’t worry: there will be logs and session summaries available for you to read and learn on your own time.

Ubuntu App Developer Week 11.04 Starting on Monday

Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:25:34 +0000

Just a quick reminder that the next Ubuntu App Developer Week starts next Monday on the #ubuntu-classroom IRC channel on Freenode.

So get ready for a week packed with sessions on how to develop awesome applications in Ubuntu, straight from the best experts!

Here’s a sneak peek at the sessions the week is kicking off with:

16:00 UTC - Enabling Multitouch and Gestures Using uTouch with Chase Douglas and Stephen Webb
17:00 UTC - GObject Introspection: The New Way For Developing GNOME Apps in Python, JavaScript and Others with Tomeu Vizoso
18:00 UTC - From English to Any Language: Internationalizing Your Apps with David Planella
19:00 UTC - Widgetcraft: The Art of Creating Plasma Widgets with Harald Sitter
20:00 UTC - Rock solid Python development with unittest/doctest with Barry Warsaw
But there is much more…

Looking forward to an awesome week. See you there!

Announcing Ubuntu App Developer Week

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:00:51 +0000

Ubuntu App Developer Week
#

I’m thrilled to announce the next edition of Ubuntu AppDeveloperWeek, from the 11th to 15th April 2011 at #ubuntu-classroom on IRC.

Call for Maverick Language Pack Update Testing

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:59:10 +0000

We’ve just uploaded fresh language packs in the maverick-proposed repository for testers to check before they are released to all users. These should contain all updates and fixes in translations done since the last language pack update.

I’d like to ask for your help in testing them and in providing an indication that the test has been done. You can do this very easily by following the instructions here:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Translations/LanguagePackUpdatesQA

Launchpad Translators Rocking on Chromium: 16000 Messages Upstreamed

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:40:21 +0000

Fabien has told me he’ll explain in more detail in a later post, but I couldn’t resist mentioning it in the meantime.

Look at this:

ast 1024
ca 5
cs 80
da 36
de 351
es 538
eu 3457
fi 293
fr 26
gl 3475
he 252
id 116
it 77
ka 98
ku 387
lt 3
nl 227
no 83
pt-BR 437
ro 18
ru 225
sl 537
sr 102
sv 382
ug 3378
zh-CN 537

TOTAL 16144

That’s more than 16000 strings in 26 languages coming from Launchpad landing on Chromium upstream.

Training Session: Ubuntu Translations QA Workflows

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:25:26 +0000

Join me tomorrow on a new Translations Training session where I’ll be talking about workflows you can use to provide better quality translations to our already awesome OS. I’ll cover different approaches to reviewing translations and some tips interesting to both experienced and new translation teams.

WHAT: Ubuntu Translations Training Session: QA Workflows
WHEN: Thursday, 17 Mar, 16:00 UTC
WHERE: #ubuntu-classroom IRC channel on Freenode

Remember that if you’ve got any suggestions about a translations topic you’d like to learn more about, you can add it here.

Help Translating the Ubuntu IRC Terms of Service

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:02:09 +0000

IRC rockstar Jussi Schultink, on behalf of the Ubuntu IRC Council tells me that the Ubuntu IRC Terms of Service are up for translation, so feel free to go to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/IRC/TermsOfService and start a new translation in your language.

You’ll find instructions on how to do it at the bottom of the page, so there’s no excuse to make them available in everyone’s language!

Image from http://mardoen.textdriven.com/irc_arcs/ by Martin Dittus

New Videocast Tomorrow: Ubuntu Translations Workflow II

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:00:15 +0000

Join me in a fresh episode of Ubuntu Translations TV tomorrow, where I’ll be continuing the series started on the last session and explain what happens to translations when they get out of Launchpad and are delivered to our users for some localized goodness.

Again, this will be a bit technical, but not too much, and it will help everyone understanding the big picture of how translations work in Ubuntu.

Starting Translations Training Sessions

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:00:20 +0000

As previously discussed, I’m happy to announce the first in the series of biweekly Translations Training Sessions, starting tomorrow.

So here’s the rundown: we’ll be having a 1 hour IRC session, where you can learn how to use the Launchpad Translations web UI to translate your favourite distro.

WHAT: Translations Training Sessions
WHERE: #ubuntu-translators IRC channel on Freenode
WHEN: Thursday, 3rd February, 16:00 UTC

What will you need?

Not much, really. It would be great if you could create a Launchpad account before joining the session, so that you can get started trying your first translations during the hour, that’d be awesome. You’ll simply need an e-mail address and an Internet connection for that. You’ll find how to do this on the Translations QuickStart Guide.

New Translations Videocast: Ubuntu Translations Workflow

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:03:16 +0000

As every two weeks, this Thursday I’ll be preparing a fresh Ubuntu Translations Videocast for all of you interested in knowing more about the exciting world of translating Ubuntu.

I’d like to combine some basic with some more advanced topics, so that the subjects are interesting to both new and experienced translators. This week I’ll be doing a more technical talk (not too much, though) about the translation workflow in Ubuntu and all that happens behind the scenes.

Double Translations Video Feature This Week

Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:29:48 +0000

Lots of translations news on the air this week!

Yesterday I had the pleasure to chat with the legendary Danilo Šegan, of Launchpad Translations and GNOME internationalization fame.

Danilo told us all about the progress on upstream integration work in Launchpad and explained more in detail the part which has just been freshly implemented for Ubuntu: better translation imports from upstream projects.

New Launchpad Rollout: Please Put Translations on Hold for a Bit

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 18:25:57 +0000

NOTE: this notice affects only translations for upstream projects in Launchpad, and not the translations of Ubuntu packages.

Yesterday’s Launchpad rollout came with lots of translation goodness, such as better upstream imports, of which we’ll talk in more detail very soon.

However, as a side effect and due to a migration script not being run in the Launchpad side, we’d like to ask you to wait a bit to do new translations for upstream projects in Launchpad until we can run this script again and make sure new translations during this time are not reverted to suggestions.

New Ubuntu Translations Videocast tomorrow

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:29:51 +0000

Ladies and gents, I’m pleased to announce the next Ubuntu Translations videocast tomorrow from Dallas, Texas, where this week we are holding the Canonical Platform Rally for the next version of Ubuntu, the Natty Narwhal.

This time around I’ll have the privilege to be joined by Danilo Šegan (or his alter ego Данило Шеган), the Launchpad Translations developer team lead.

Those of you involved in translations will know Danilo well, not only for his work in developing the translations application in Launchpad, but also for his community involvement. A regular at UDS and GUADEC conferences, he’s also developed and maintained some of the key tools in the Free Software Localization ecosystem, such as xml2po and intltool.

Translation Tutorials: how to start translating Ubuntu

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:16:07 +0000

I talk often about the Ubuntu translations community, and one of the things I get asked many times is how to actually get started translating Ubuntu.

Because of this, and because I want to show everyone how easy it can be, I’ve decided to kick off a series of articles covering the different aspects of translations, starting with the basics.

So here it is: how to start translating Ubuntu, in 3 easy steps.

Natty Translations Plans III: the Ubuntu Translations Portal

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 22:07:09 +0000

Following the series of blog posts about the Ubuntu Translations plans for the Natty cycle, this week I’m thrilled to report on the Ubuntu Translations Portal, and to announce its initial test deployment.

The idea behind the portal is to aggregate all existing content and to be the main entry point to the translations community for new contributors, providing them answers, inspiration and excitement. For experienced translators it will be a central point for resources and news about translating Ubuntu.

Project Unity L10N

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 17:34:21 +0000

Most Ubuntu enthusiasts already know about Unity, a project that is changing the way we interact with our computer by bringing a consistent user experience and a solid, elegant design for desktop and netbook users.

We want to make sure Unity is for everyone, and one of the key aspects to make it possible is that it is available in everyone’s language.

Unity is already available in more than 60 languages, and can be translated into almost any other. Unity is also Free Software, which means it is in your own hands to make it happen.

Natty Translations Plans II: Translations Training Sessions

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:42:22 +0000

Following the first in the series of posts about the plans for Ubuntu Translations on this cycle and their progress, this week I’d like to talk about Translations Training Sessions.

What we’d like is to run a series of regular events where translators can just attend and learn, in a hands-on way, all the different aspects of translating our favourite distro. There, they should also be able to ask their questions and discuss any topics related to translations. Another goal is to also provide material for all teams to adapt and reuse for their own training events for new translators.

New Translations Videocast: First Steps Translating Ubuntu

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:14:22 +0000

After the first Ubuntu Translations videocast two weeks ago, join me tomorrow in a new edition where I’ll talk about the first steps to get you started translating Ubuntu.

So if are either:

new to Ubuntu and would like to learn more and join the awesome translations community…
not involved in translations but would like to know more about how Ubuntu is translated…
an experienced translator that would like to ask questions or share your workflow…

… then this show is definitely for you.

New Maverick language packs ready for testing

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:14:32 +0000

We’ve uploaded language packs in the maverick-proposed repository for everyone to test before they are released to all users. These should contain all the updates and fixes in translations done since the Maverick release date.

I’d like to ask translation teams and other community members to test them and provide an indication that they’ve done so by following some simple steps and submitting a sign-off, so that we know that translations have been successfully tested.

Chromium opens to community translations in Launchpad

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 13:34:09 +0000

I’m very much thrilled to announce that Chromium, the Open Source project behind Google Chrome, the browser that is transforming the way we experience the web, is now open for community translation in Launchpad.

Chromium will be hosting its translations in Launchpad Translations, the collaborative online tool for translating Open Source projects and building community around them.

You can now translate Chromium online into almost any language. Using Launchpad’s simple web interface you’ll only need a Launchpad account, a web browser and good knowledge of English and the language you’ll be translating into.

Ubuntu Natty open for translation

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 16:59:44 +0000

After the new Natty Narwhal Alpha 1 pre-release, I am pleased to announce that Natty is now open for translation:

Translation caveats. Remember that according to the release schedule translatable messages might be subject to change until the User Interface Freeze on the 24th of March.
Language packs. During the Natty development cycle, language packs containing translations will be released twice per week except for the freeze periods. This will allow users and translators to quickly see and test the results of translations.
Firefox. The first language packs will not yet contain Firefox translations. We’ll get them in soon as we’re adapting to the new upstream langpack packaging structure, so that Firefox is localized by default as usual.
Test and report bugs. If you notice any issues (e.g. untranslated strings or applications), do check with the translation team for your language first. If you think it is a genuine bug, please report it.

That’s it, happy translating! :-)

After the first translations videocast

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:27:59 +0000

So, after having done the first translations videocast on the Ubuntu Translations channel yesterday, I can just say it was great fun, and from the feedback I got after the show it seems people liked it too, which is fantastic.

First of all though, big thanks to those of you who joined in with your comments and questions.

I was really really pleased to see lots of participation, both in the ustream chat in the show’s page and in the #ubuntu-translators IRC channel. I think that’s the best format to make it your show as well: do ask your questions, comment and make it more interactive. I can go on forever rambling on… err… talking about translations, but your participation makes it more fun and more personal, which is one of the objectives of these shows.

Translations on the telly

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:49:44 +0000

The plan for the community team to dominate social media first and the world afterwards goes on unabated.

First it was At Home with Jono Bacon, then Ubuntu Development with Daniel Holbach.

This time it’s translations.

Join me tomorrow on the first ever Ubuntu Translations videocast and learn more about our ever amazing community. I’ll be talking about how Ubuntu is translated, how translation teams work, and whatever else time allows. On later shows I’ll focus in more detail on particular subjects (upstreams, best practices, etc. - I’ll also take requests!).

Natty Translations Plans I: Translations Stories

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:15:56 +0000

As Jono has been mentioning recently, one of the projects we’re working on the translations community this cycle are Translations Stories.

We’d like to show how translations change people’s lives for the best, and how the work of translators has an impact on that. We’d like to share our excitement and highlight the awesome work translators do, and we thought that articles with translations stories would be the perfect vehicle for that.

The Ubuntu Catalan team on yet another install party

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:18:57 +0000

Once again, the unstoppable Catalan team demonstrate their drive and capacity in event organization and Free Software advocacy.

Last 20th of November, pursuing the lofty “hey, one install party is not enough” goal and organized by Vicent Cubells and Josep Martínez, the team pulled yet a second Ubuntu Maverick install party. This time round it was in the beautiful city of València, and in an emblematic location as well: the Ca Revolta center - which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.

It's Ubuntu Follow Friday!

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 22:09:59 +0000

So, as our fearless leader nicely put it, it’s Ubuntu Follow Friday!

This last couple of days in the Community team we’ve been looking at some of the ways to spread out the word about different areas of contribution in Ubuntu, share our excitement and reach out to a bigger audience.

We’ve been reviewing and reviving some resources we already had and we’ve been creating new ones, and in the case of translations I just thought I’d give a heads up to everyone about them.

Announcing the Natty Narwhal UDS Translations Sessions

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:24:44 +0000

It’s less than a week before the Ubuntu Developer Summit kicks off in Orlando, Florida, from the 25th-29th Oct, and everyone is getting ready to plan all the sessions and put all of the pieces in place for what will be once more an amazing schedule for an exciting development cycle: Ubuntu 11.04, the Natty Narwhal.

As usual, we’re going to have a solid representation of Ubuntu Translations, and I’d like to take the opportunity to let you know bit more about the sessions we’ve got in store for this UDS.

Translators: you are awesome and you should be proud of it

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 19:55:46 +0000

Translations Awesomeness
#

As you all know the Meerkat is out.

After the release frenzy, I’d like to take a step back and use the opportunity to thank the people from the part of the community that’s closer to me: translators.

For those not familiar with them, they are a vital piece of the diverse group of individuals that bring Ubuntu to millions: they enable almost everyone to use Ubuntu in their own language. With every release they manage to organize, coordinate and perform the translation effort for the applications that are part of our Operating System.

Ubuntu 11.04 Translations plans

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:14:00 +0000

In the Community team at Canonical we are already turning the engines to start laying out the plans for the 11.04 roadmap for translations.

For this, we really value your input and would very much like to take your ideas and feedback into account. Remember that this is about the translations community itself, it is not about requesting new features for Launchpad Translations.

If you’d like to participate and contribute in making our translations community even more awesome, you can do it very easily in any of these ways:

Ramping up for the Ubuntu Global Jam

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:31:01 +0000

Wow, our ever amazing community has done it again. Since last time I looked at the LoCo directory, the number of teams participating in the Ubuntu Global Jam has nearly doubled.

There is still time to organise new events and join the fun next weekend - a great opportunity to meet your old and new Ubuntu friends and help improve Ubuntu.

So here’s the question, is your country or area represented in there? Let your region also make the difference by adding your event.

Join the fun at the Ubuntu Global Jam

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:38:23 +0000

Getting ready for the Jam
#

It’s less than two weeks before our ever amazing community joins around the globe to have a good time while improving the incoming Ubuntu release, 10.10, codenamed the Maverick Meerkat.

The Ubuntu Global Jam is a great opportunity to contribute to your favourite OS in any area you can participate in. There are plenty of proposed activities, such as Bugs, Testing, Upgrade, Documentation, Translations, Packaging, but it does not have to stop at that. Why not propose your own activities, or run meetings related to them? Marketing, advocacy… your imagination is the limit.

The Hebrew translation team needs your help

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:11:19 +0000

After running the Ubuntu Translation Teams Healthcheck I took it to heart to help translation teams in the areas they asked for assistance in the survey.

One of the teams that had a need in a particular area was the Ubuntu Hebrew translation team. In their own words:

“We don’t get much feedback, to be exact, we need to beg the users for feedback, once in every few months someone is kind enough to tell us that there is a translation mistake […]”

Ubuntu Maverick open for translation

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:21:47 +0000

I’m pleased to announce that Ubuntu Maverick is now open for translation:

Remember that according to the release schedule translatable messages might be subject to change until the User Interface Freeze on the 26th of August.

During the Maverick development cycle, language packs containing the translations are generally released twice per week. This way you can see and test the results of the translations more frequently.

That’s it, happy translating!

Ubuntu Translation Teams Healthcheck

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:03:41 +0000

Some weeks ago I ran the Ubuntu Translation teams healthcheck survey. The main goal was getting in touch with the teams to have some feedback on how they were doing, if they needed help in any particular area and make sure that they were aware of the latest changes in translation policies. While the results were available on the wiki, I hadn’t had a chance to post a summary.

Here it is.

Language info
#

Participation. Up to 71 teams participated in the survey. Of these, 58 submitted the input and explicitly agreed to have it published online. This summary represents the input from the following teams:

Translations Advocacy

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:24:55 +0000

It might not come as a surprise to you that I start saying that translations are important.

Why translations
#

Translations are a key part of the Ubuntu community, with deep roots in our Ubuntu philosophy. For many users having an operating system in their language is the only way they’ll be able to use it (*), so it is just natural that we support this and provide tools to lower the barrier to community translations. Others might be proficient in English and be able to use Ubuntu without natural language support, but still choose to work with it in their language.

Daily build awesomeness

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:35:50 +0000

Today I’d like to let you know about a very cool Launchpad feature: Daily Builds.

In a nutshell: daily builds get Launchpad to work for developers and produce automatically or semi-automatically built packages of the latest code, ready for everyone to test and taste.

With daily builds you’ll be able to:

Make your software available to early adopters and testers very easily
Facilitate the work of testers and thus improve your software’s QA process

If that wheted your appetite, check out the documentation for more detailed info.

Help translating the LoCo Teams Best Practices and Guidelines

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:13:27 +0000

Hi all,

It’s translations announcements day today! ;)

We’ve got some more content that would be very interesting for LoCos to have translated. Check this out:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoCouncil/LoCoTeamsBestPracticesandGuidelines

The Ubuntu LoCo Council developed a series of best practices and guidelines to help all LoCos to be more successful, and it would be awesome to have it in YOUR language to allow everyone contribute making your LoCo rock even harder.

Here’s how you can help:

The Ubuntu LoCo Directory wants to speak your language

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:22:46 +0000

Hi all,

The Loco Directory hackers have asked for some more help in getting the directory translated and thus more usable for your Ubuntu LoCo.

You can contribute to it the usual way by going to:

https://translations.launchpad.net/loco-directory

And leaving your suggestions or translations there.

We’ve got 7 languages which are nearly completed, and it would really be awesome if also Catalan, Finnish, French, Czech, Asturian, Serbian, Bengali, Greek, Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, English (United Kingdom), Dutch, Swedish, Galician, Hebrew, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Vietnamese, Irish, Thai, Arabic, Tamil, Turkish, Welsh, Portuguese, Slovak, Polish, Persian, Danish, Belarusian, and more! would get some translation love.

Ubuntu Lucid release party in Valencia

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:26:58 +0000

Last weekend the Catalan LoCo team reunited again to celebrate yet another unforgettable Ubuntu release party in València, at the emblematic Octubre Culture Centre in the heart of the city.

They were two days packed with activities, presentations, conferences, unconferences, installs, excellent food and even better company. In summary, good fun for everyone, of which here’s just a taste:

Maverick UDS Translations Sessions

Wed, 05 May 2010 22:02:16 +0000

Engines are warming up for the next Ubuntu Developer Summit next week in Brussels, and on the Community track we’ve got a rich set of sessions to discuss a lot of topics around Translations. These will help shaping up the roadmap for the next version of Ubuntu, the Maverick Meerkat.

We discussed the sessions in the last translations meeting and they have now all been scheduled. You can also see the overview on the wiki, although they will all be tracked from the linked blueprints. Here they are:

Translate the main LoCo Council page

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 10:11:55 +0000

I’ve been working with Laura Czajkowski to set up the main LoCo Council page for translations on the wiki, and I’m pleased to announce that you can start translating it to your own language, so that it is also useful for everyone in your LoCo whose mother tongue is not English:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoCouncil

The LoCo Council is at the heart of the governance of the Ubuntu LoCo community, and with such a diverse community as ours, it just makes sense to reflect this diversity in a set of translations for everyone.

Launchpad Translations projects in Google Summer of Code 2010

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:23:42 +0000

As most of you know, we’ve got an amazing translations community in Ubuntu. Every day, hundreds of translators use Launchpad Translations as a tool to make our OS of choice available in almost any language.

As such, I’m thrilled to announce a set of GSoC projects focused on Launchpad Translations and aimed towards improving the Ubuntu translations community experience. Here they are:

Projects
#

Package set views in Launchpad Translations
#

Currently we expose the full list of translations in the main archive to Ubuntu translators. This is generally overwhelming for new translators and it does not show accurate statistics on how well translated a distribution is.

Ubuntu Global Jam: time is ticking

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:39:51 +0000

Ok, the countdown has started for the Ubuntu Global Jam. It’s less than 10 days until Ubuntu teams around the globe show off some community power and join the fest to make our favourite OS even more awesome.

For the late-comers:

WHAT: Ubuntu Global Jam
WHEN: Weekend of the 26th to 28th of March 2010
WHERE: Everywhere around the world! Check out your nearest LoCo

There are plenty of activities to choose this time (Bugs, Testing, Upgrade, Documentation, Translations, Packaging). Be creative!

Translating software descriptions with Nightmonkey

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:38:36 +0000

I’ve been meaning to talk about this cool project for some days.

Enter Nightmonkey:

[caption id=“attachment_303” align=“alignnone” width=“480”] Nightmonkey 2.0[/caption]

What’s this?
#

Nightmonkey is a project created and driven by the Ubuntu Hungarian team to allow an easier translation of the descriptions of packages, with István Nyitrai as the main developer and rockstar.

These are the short and long texts used to describe what a particular software package does. They are shown in different places in the system, most notably on Software Center when you are looking at an application’s info page.

Help localization testing with the ISO tracker

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:06:43 +0000

The Ubuntu Testing Team is currently testing Lucid Alpha 3 candidate images.

This cycle we have a brand new set of localization test cases for everyone to check and make sure language support in Lucid is top notch, and we need your help!

Here’s how you can contribute; the procedure for testing is very easy, and it involves:

Signing up - create an account at the ISO testing tracker and log in
Running the test cases - run the localization test cases following the given steps
Reporting - report on them (pass/fail, comments, bugs, etc.)

Step 1: Signing up
#

[caption id=“attachment_285” align=“alignnone” width=“480” caption=“Signing up to the ISO tracker”][/caption]

Upstream and Ubuntu Translations documentation

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:26:16 +0000

After having had the same questions from upstreams several times, last week I was finally carried away by a surge of JFDI energy to create a resource for them, of which here are the results:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Translations/Upstream

This should provide some basic information about the relationship of Ubuntu Translations and upstreams, and it is aimed at both upstream maintainers and Ubuntu translators in an attempt to share knowledge and good practices for collaboration.

Call for feedback on preferred desktop fonts

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:48:47 +0000

As you know, while trying to offer a better experience for users in all languages and trying to balance that with features, we are faced with the fact that the space on the Live CD is limited.

Fonts in particular take a lot of space, and we’d like to reduce that to the minimum necessary in order to have a reduced set to correctly display all languages. These will then be collected in an ‘ubuntu-desktop-fonts’ package.

Getting ready for more jamming awesome

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:27:39 +0000

The engines are already warming up for the Ubuntu Global Jam on the 26th to 28th of March weekend.

As our vibrant community grows, we’re also expanding the types of jams, to make sure everyone can pick one suited to their tastes. Here is our variety of flavours this time:

Bugs - find, triage, squeeze and help fixing those annoying little bugs.
Testing - with your testing Lucid is going to be a top notch release.
Upgrade - contribute making the upgrading to Lucid from Hardy or Karmic a smooth experience for everyone.
Documentation - spread the knowledge on Ubuntu and on participating in the Community, help documenting it.
Translations - join the awesome Ubuntu translations community and make the Lynx speak your language.
Packaging - follow the path of the legendary Ubuntu developers and learn how to package software.
Other - be creative! suggest your own type of jam! marketing, artwork, advocacy… you name it.

One very important point is to note that these are only suggestions, and not every LoCo will run every type of Jam. The main thing is to spend some good time hanging out with your friends while making Ubuntu rock harder.

Lucid Translations now open

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:03:49 +0000

Just a quick note to announce that Lucid is now open for translation.

You can now go to

http://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu

and help making the Lynx speak your language.

See the original announcement for more details.

*If you need any help in joining a team, have any questions regarding Ubuntu Translations, or simply want to get in touch with other members of the global Ubuntu Translations community you can contact the Translations team. You can also report translations bugs in the Ubuntu Translations project in Launchpad*

Squashing translations bugs

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:54:08 +0000

Hi all,

Here’s just a reminder that we’re having a bug squash fest on Ubuntu Translations bugs today, so get your spray cans ready and join us at #ubuntu-bugs for the Hug Day!:

Announcing the Next Ubuntu Bug Day! - Thursday 03 December 2009 Fellow Ubuntu Triagers! This week’s Bug Day target is drum roll please Ubuntu Translations!

7 New bugs need a hug

14 Incomplete bugs need a status check

71 Confirmed bugs need a review

Bookmark it, add it to your calendars, turn over those egg-timers!

Ubuntu Jamming, Catalan style

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:09:00 +0000

The Ubuntu Catalan team met yesterday to contribute with their own bit of awesome to the Ubuntu Global Jam.

We run a translation and a packaging/bug-fixing jam and we had an exceptional participation (about 20 people at peak time). Most importantly though, we had a good time.

But let’s just leave the pictures speak for themselves:

The whole crew, showing off their good looks and rearranging the local urban furniture

Ubuntu translations for developers on UDW

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:11:22 +0000

As part of the Ubuntu Developer Week, do not miss out the session on Translations for developers I’ll have the pleasure to co-host with Launchpad and Ubuntu superheroes Danilo Segan and Martin Pitt.

We’ll be focusing on how the whole translations lifecycle works in Ubuntu, from packaging, to Launchpad, to actual community translation, and expanding the technical bits in between. There will also be plenty of time for anyone to ask all they ever wanted to know about translations and were afraid to ask ;)

Kubuntu Translations Day

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:03:57 +0000

It’s not a secret that Kubuntu translations have needed love for some time, but it’s not a secret that we want to make Kubuntu Karmic a rock-solid release on translations, either.

So, what’s this?
#

We’d like to get Kubuntu translations in shape for Karmic and we’re organising a whole day event with this purpose.

Karmic translations...

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:37:31 +0000

… are now open.

For more information check out the announcement.

Happy translating :)!

Looking back

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:55:38 +0000

Time does really fly.

In a few days it will be 3 months since I started at Canonical, so I thought this might be a good time to stop for a second and post a quick recollection of my work and experiences so far.

What I’ve been doing
#

People: I’ve been working very closely with my awesome team and with some other equally awesome people. All of them and many others have been really helpful in making me feel welcome and in getting up to speed with the internal processes and workflows. Thank you very very much, guys!. It is really inspiring to see people being driven by and working very hard in something they strongly believe in. If that alone weren’t enough, they also make a difference in what they do. Now, how cool is that?
Allhands: my first time at the Canonical Allhands meeting was (for the lack of more adjectives to describe awesomeness) an amazing experience. Seeing the gathering of so many incredible individuals made me think it’s no wonder we’ve gotten so far.
UDS: this time we had a good representation on translations at UDS, and we talked a lot about them. Well, that’s only the beginning! Expect to have more and more of that in the next UDSs. You can see a picture of the whole translations crew showing off their good looks in Milo’s post here.
Feedback, feedback, feedback: apart from direct feedback at UDS, I’ve been running a survey on the Ubuntu Translations Community and another one on Launchpad Translations. Stay tuned for more updates on this.
UNR: as part of the process of making the Ubuntu Netbook Remix (UNR) available to the community, I’ve been working with the OEM team to also make its translations available to Ubuntu Translators, so that end users can benefit of their fantastic work in localising Ubuntu. All the credit for the hard work in making this happen goes to Kyle Nitzsche from the Canonical OEM team - and to the Launchpad Translations team for their assistance as well.
Meetings: following the example of many other communities within Ubuntu, I believe translators will greatly benefit in having a dedicated space to discuss anything around translations in real time and with a specific agenda. It is all about improving and promoting communication, and that’s why we’re starting the Ubuntu Translations meetings.

…and many other bits and pieces.

It's all about communication

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:11:00 +0000

One of the things we talked about in the translations roundtables at the last UDS was about having better communications and a more transparent translations process.

I’d like to make Karmic the best release in translations so far, and I’d like people to be able to meet and discuss anything related to Ubuntu translations in real time.

The idea is, if there are any translations issues (imports not working, critical upstream/downstream translation bugs, new packages for translation, etc.) we can talk about them in a fluent way and catch them early in the process.

The Ubuntu Global Jam...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:26:38 +0000

… now with Translations.

As you probably know, we are going to have a massive Ubuntu Global Jam, and we’ll be expanding it to Translations this time around.

So you wanted to get involved in Ubuntu and to deliver it to millions in their own language, I hear? This will be your chance:

WHAT: Ubuntu Global Jam: Translations
WHEN: the 2nd to 4th October 2009 weekend
PREPARATIONS: Third Thursday of every month (next meeting is Thu 18th June 2009 at 18:00 UTC) at #ubuntu-meeting on Freenode

I’ve started a section on running translation jams in our wiki, and I’ll be adding more content there in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for updates.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix in your language

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:31:47 +0000

I wanted to let you know of a project which probably won’t be new to the most of you.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix (in short, UNR) is a sleek, easy to use and yet powerful version of Ubuntu aimed at netbook devices and… well of course, human beings.

What you might not have known is that as with Ubuntu, you can translate and use UNR in your very own language. The UNR project has already been translated to some 36 languages, but there are still some in need of love.

Launchpad Translations Feedback

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:31:31 +0000

Launchpad Translations is the collaborative tool you can use to translate Ubuntu and other software into almost any language. Whether you are using it as a regular translator, as an upstream project maintainer or as an occasional contributor, we’d like to hear from you. Your feedback will help us to keep in touch with the community and to assess areas in which we can improve.

It was about time...

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:41:11 +0000

… to have a translator featured in the Ubuntu Hall of Fame.

Congratulations Adi!

Exciting times ahead

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:08:26 +0000

Castell de Sant Ferran, Figueres

Next Monday the 6th of April I’ll be joining Jono Bacon’s team at Canonical as the Ubuntu Translations Coordinator.

Coming from an Engineering background, this new position will be quite a shift, but an exciting challenge I’ll be enjoying to take.

I’m looking forward to working with Ubuntu’s vibrant community and the amazing crew at Canonical!

This page has been intentionally mostly left blank

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:13:12 +0000

Hello world!, stay tuned for actual content.

David Planella

All-remote audio/video setup upgrade

A new life for a changing table

GitLab All Remote at Remote Work Roundtable

Slides #

Reactions #

Hand tool rack with French cleat

Volkswagen bus engine codes

Quick links #

Engine types #

How to bench bleed hydraulic valve lifters

Why do hydraulic lifters need bleeding? #

Timing a VW bus engine

Quickstart #

On timing #

VW Type 2 ECU part number reference

Part numbers and interchangeability #

ECU capabilities #

VW Type 2 L-Jetronic connector pinout

Connector pinout #

Harness schematic #

VW bus spark plugs service

Service and specifications #

Installation tips #

FAQ #

Installing Gollum with SSL authentication and Disqus comments on Ubuntu

VW Type 2 fuel injection vacuum hose guide

Vacuum hose identification #

Vacuum control hose identification #

Vacuum control hose routing #

How to change oil on a Volkswagen Type 4 engine

VW bus underfloor

Ubuntu is about people

The Ubuntu Online Summit starts next week

The tracks #

Announcing the UbuCon Summit

Taking UbuCons to the next level #

Announcing the next Ubuntu Online Summit

The Ubuntu Community Donations Program in review

The Ubuntu Scope Showdown - progress showcase

A new era for the Ubuntu community team, or business as usual

Internationalizing your apps at the Ubuntu App Developer Week

The Ubuntu Core Apps Hack Days are back!

Announcing the first Ubuntu App Dev Schools

A quickstart guide to the Ubuntu phone emulator

Make Ubuntu speak your language

Speak to me of swing

Ubuntu Reminders app gets Evernote authentication

Empowering LoCo teams at UDS

The challenge #

So long, and thanks for all the swing

Upcoming Qreator release - call for translations

Rhythm Junkies live at Spirit Swing House

The end of the world is nigh, so swing it!

Join the Ubuntu Community Docs Jam today

Qreator

Thursday night swing session @ XL

Monday night swing session #1 @ Spirit

When I Hear a Syncopated Tune

Track list #

New Orleans Tunes

Track list #

Heads up to all Ubuntu App Showdown participants

On greater capacity

Upcoming Ubuntu App Showdown Workshop: How I Made Qreator

The Ubuntu App Showdown is starting today!

Upcoming Ubuntu Open Week session - how to contribute translating Ubuntu

Upcoming Ubuntu Open Week session - submitting your apps to the Software Centre

Get the Ubuntu Online Tour on your LoCo site

Ubuntu Global Jam events: jamming Catalan style

Upcoming Ubuntu Global Jam events: here's how the Slovenian team rolls

Ubuntu Global Jam Q+A Videocasts today!

Ubuntu Precise Open for Translation

Building the Ubuntu App Development community (I): communication channels

Dancing Lindy Hop at the park

Translations sessions at the 12.04 Ubuntu Developer Summit

App developer sessions at the 12.04 Ubuntu Developer Summit

Translations and App development sessions today at the Ubuntu Open Week

Making Ubuntu available in 50 languages

Announcing the Ubuntu App Developer site

Slides
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Reactions
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Quick links
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Engine types
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Why do hydraulic lifters need bleeding?
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Quickstart
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On timing
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Part numbers and interchangeability
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ECU capabilities
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Connector pinout
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Harness schematic
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Service and specifications
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Installation tips
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FAQ
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Vacuum hose identification
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Vacuum control hose identification
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Vacuum control hose routing
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The tracks
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Taking UbuCons to the next level
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The challenge
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Track list
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Track list
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4 Summary
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Creating an App Developer Website: developer.ubuntu.com
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3 Summary
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Unity Mail: Webmail Notification on Your Desktop
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2 Summary
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Making Your App Speak Languages with Launchpad Translations
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1 Summary
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Making Ubuntu a Target for App Developers
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Kicking Off Ubuntu App Developer Week
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Ubuntu App Developer Week
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Making Ubuntu a Choice for App Developers
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 4 Summary
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 3 Summary
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 2 Summary
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Ubuntu App Developer Week - Day 1 Summary
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Enabling Multitouch and Gestures Using uTouch
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Ubuntu App Developer Week
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Translations Awesomeness
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Getting ready for the Jam
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