Want to help Ubuntu-MATE project

Thoughts & Feedback
#1

Hello, I was a Windows admin and later a systems architect for a Washington Mutual bank, US bank that went bankrupt in 2008. When I was laid off in Dec. 2009 I took a trip to South East Asia and fell in love with the place. I ended up staying for 5 years. When I came back to America I tried to get back into the tech market. But with technologies changing, my Windows skills a bit rusty and more using Azure and AWS etc… I was a bit behind. I have tried to get back into the job market but I haven’t been interviewing well over the past couple years, choking on things I have done 1000’s of times.
Anyway, I started in computers as a hobby and I guess that I am back to my roots. I would love to help the Ubuntu-MATE project out, but I can’t code to save my life or even my poor cats life.
So, what can an ex-Windows admin with basic Linux/UNIX skills do to help out Ubuntu-MATE? I already give money which I don’t have a lot of since I do manual labor. Who do we approach, Whimpy? He seems like he has enough on his plate, he doesn’t need to help me help mate :slight_smile:

If Ubuntu-MATE doesn’t have need of someone with no skills :frowning: where else in the open source community should I look?

Thanks in advance,
Andamo

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#2

@andamo - Ubuntu MATE definitely wants your help! You don’t need to code, but if you want to learn, that would also be awesome!

You lived abroad and came back. Did you speak other languages while there? Could you help with translations? That’s always necessary too! We use Transifex for translations.

Just using the system and reporting any bugs, issues, or even missing features is very helpful. Since you have some admin chops, you are probably able to describe bugs in a way that developers can understand. As you guessed correctly, Wimpy had plenty on his plate, so anything to removes guesswork will be very much appreciated. Developers will love you for that too :wink:

As you learn the system, helping people in this forum is a great way of contributing. The more people helping in the forum, the more developers are able to work on the code. Also this leads to more people helping each other, which snowballs into good stuff.

If you have at least some cursory knowledge of programming, and want to learn more, let me know and I will happily give you an overview of different parts of the code that could use some love. Mostly the project uses C for upstream MATE, and Python for the Ubuntu MATE bits. There are also plenty of things like configuration files, themes, and whatnot. Anyway, let me know if you want that path.

There are probably other ways to contribute that I haven’t thought of (helping people on IRC maybe?).

What do you think? Anything above resonates with you?

7 Likes
#3

Thanks vkareh. That does help some. At least I have an idea where to. As for coding, I have tried over the years and just don’t really have the appitude for it. I spent hours on a script to create a virtualbox vm. That should more than likely have taken a normal person about 30 minutes tops. Anyway, I will start filing bugs as I find them for sure.
Oh, as for translating, no foreign languages here. I barely learned enough to shop at the market.

Thanks again,
Andamo

1 Like
#4

And obviously more contrib$ can be also very very usefull :wink:

#5

As a new user of MATE , and long user of Ubuntu, I would see a need for “quality control / assurance / inspection”.
I am saying this as “thought” ( posted elsewhere) after few unsuccessful “download / install” of MATE.
( It finally works as I need it )

Especially when it comes to being "advertised " as Raspberry Pi OS .

BUT
Again, from recent experience, critique of software is definitely not welcomed by software originators or forum moderators.

A well know software house was very successful because they “read the mail” and had a good idea what works and what does not.
Problems usually demonstrate themselves as “red bottom line”,unfortunately user supported or "charitable " enterprise does not have that measuring scale.
So, yes, I be happy to “point out” strange ,“nice to have apps”, or inefficient MATE behaviour, but - do not ask me to "register to fill out bug report " in triplicate - READ the users posts.
Cheers

#6

We need to learn the difference between a forum and a bug report system. Forums are for users and devs to have a chat and share ideas etc and bug report systems are just for posting bugs and maybe requests . We can’t ask devs to swim in the pile of the post’s and see what it’s what, when we see post’s on the forum or bug system/site where a user repors are like “my screen resolution it’s not right” with no version of the os, drivers, video card etc

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#7

If you have a constructive criticism it’s ok, if you are just rude you need to rethink your ppl skills. Don’t forget when you criticizes a app you are criticizing a dev free work. And in my opinion i will say, don’t like it? Great do something about it , learn to code, help to test that program/project and maybe , maybe a dev will work on your ideea. You need to look at open source as a trading program as in real life. No one it’s giving you free stuff and you don’t give free stuff so why here it should be different?
P.S this is coming from a user(me) that doesn’t have ppl skills because of my big mouth but i know how to respect someone work or opinion.

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