Re: [devel] Cooperation with Skolelinux / Automation of Building Live-CDs in future

cobaco wrote:

> On 2004-01-04 15:16, Kurt Pfeifle wrote:
> 

Hi, Bart,

it is nice to see someone from Skolelinux watching our lists.
Welcome!

I hope we can learn a lot from your efforts and we can together
contribute a big chunk to the push of moving Linux (and KDE) to
the computer desktops of the world.

[....]

> Also interesting to know that we're in the process of merging with the
> debian-edu project.

I didn't know this existed. Thanks for the info!

I, personally, am still making myself more familiar with all
the things going on in Debian... pheeewww! the many mailinglists!,
and sub-projects!, and its technical as well as organizational
infrostructure... lots of things to get familiar with.

> International support in Skolelinux is building
> (currently we support 14 languages, and 19 locales :-), with more and more
> non-norwegians getting involved with the development.
> 

Regarding these languages, I have a question: What exactly are
these your translation teams translating? I know that Skolelinux
is building/modifying its own web-based admin tool, so obviously
they do localize that. But what about GUI apps? Are they looking
at OpenOffice, GNOME, KDE, Mozilla and other programs they want
to make part of Skolelinux, and if they are not completely and
well-enough translated, go ahead and do it themselves? I assume,
that if you do so, you co-ordinate with upstream translation teams
of GNOME, KDE, OpenOffice etc? What is the situation with KDE
here? Is KDE well enough translated for you? Are you using the
KDE tools for your own work?

What is interesting here is this: KDE plans to create new
"Quality Assurance Teams" and/or "Application Janitors" (don't
nail me down on the names, they are currently just working titles.
Obviously, we want to involve as many not-yet-to-KDE-contributing
people as possible. It is a way to help your favourite desktop
to become even better.

We are not yet there, where we could point you to a website with
a comprehensive document and a HOWTO etc.

One of the tasks for these QA people (who would probably spezialize
on a certain application each, "adopting" it, so to say) would
also be to filter through the many bug reports which are in
http://bugs.kde.org/ and verify them, prioritize them correctly,
and attach meaningful info to them so that the maintainer knows
what is meant with this. Many bug reports unfortunately are
quite useless in their quality. So this could be a very fruitful
field of cooperation of Skolelinux and KDE QA Teams. I think
you could expect the QA Teams to be very responsive to input
from Skolelinux activists. But mind you, we are only beginning
in this field, and it will take more time.

If you are interested in following this, and getting notified
by announcements concerning the QA work, you should perhaps
drop a line to "Carlos Leonhard Woelz <[email protected]>"
who is coordinating this.

> 
>>They are
>>developing a Debian-based distro which is fit to serve in schools
>>and educational places, complete with server infrastructure and
>>desktops (via terminal services).
> 
> even better we're a CDD in development[1], a high-level overview of the
> Skolelinux setup is found in [2] (available in da, de, en, nl, nb, and
> pt_BR versions).
> 

Thanks for the pointers. I had a quick look. Will be going to
read more there later tonight. This will help me to find my way
round on the Debian Planet...    ;-)

> 
>>I have also exchanged some private mails with Knut Yrvin, the project
>>leader, after he posted on the UserLinux list (hey, he uses KMail).
> 
> and so do all default Skolelinux installs :-)
> 

hehe...

> 
>>* It seems they have a complete build infrastructure in place, which
>>   is able to semi-automatically build Live-CDs (with either GNOME
>>   or KDE pre-selected). This should be a first point to seek their
>>   cooperation, medium and long-term. Maybe Mark could also try to
>>   contact them, independent from me?
> 
> 
> Skolelinux currently uses KDE 2.2 by default (as we take stable as a base),
> GNOME isn't included on the install-CD (though available from any
> Debian-mirror). We don't use backports unless absolutely necessary to avoid
> having to support the packages directly (as opposed of getting this from
> Debian-proper for free). Support for newer versions of KDE on stable could
> be another point of cooperation
> 

Sure.

> The live-cd's can be found at [3].
> 

What are they based on? I assume also on stable? Or are they a direct
deviation from Knoppix?

> 
>>* We should definitively try to cooperate as closely as possible with
>>   them. They have already completed a lot of work regarding server
>>   infrastructure (including definition of LDAP schemes etc.). They
>>   have drafted product concept catalogues.
> 
> primary person to talk to regarding the LDAP work is Andreas Schuldei
> (andreas @ skolelinux no).
> 

OK, will do.

> There will probably be a LDAP-BOF at FreeEDEM (21-22 february in Brussels,
> next to FOSDEM), with (at least) people from Skolelinux, SUSE school server 
> (1 of the developers already agreed to come), any chance that any of you 
> would be able to make it?
> 

Not me. Anyone else here going to FreeEDEM-FOSDEM/Brussels, 21-22 Feb ?

>>    They have experience with
>>   "enterprise-like environments" (design, requirements, rollouts) and
>>   have some working installations already.
> 
> yep, especially in Norway and Germany (growing *fast* with respect to
> Skolelinux) there's a fair number of rollouts. An incomplete list of
> Norwegian schools using Skolelinux can be found at [4].
> 

This map already looks impressive. Quick count suggests ~40 different
places where Skolelinux is already used in schools. Good job!

> the german group has started working on formal qualityManagement documents
> (see [5]), with a first draft of a requirements Specification ready.
> 

Yes, I'd seen these a few days ago.

> 
>>* Could we have a "dot" story about them? An interview with their
>>   project leaders, maybe?
> 
> that would be great :-)
> 

OK -- I'll come back to you, or maybe find someone else to do
it....

> 
> [1] http://wiki.debian.net/index.cgi?CustomDebian
> [2] http://developer.skolelinux.no/arkitektur/arkitektur.html.en
> [3] ftp://ftp.skolelinux.no/skolelinux/knoppixes/
> [4] http://www.skolelinux.no/testskoler/
>      (with an in progress map at
>       http://www.skolelinux.no/testskoler/map/skolelinux-norway.png )
> [5]http://developer.skolelinux.no/qualityManagement/README.QualityManagement

Thanks for all these links. They will be duly bookmarked...  ;-)

> --
> Bart Cornelis (aka cobaco):
>     Coördinator Belgisch Skolelinux team
>     Coördinator Nederlandse Skolelinux vertaling
> Skolelinux België- http://i18n.skolelinux.no/belgium

Cheers,
Kurt