I have an observation about our beloved PCLinuxOS. Please correct me if I am wrong.
PCLinuxOS is a distribution that has been created with the aim of making life simple and easy for users. It aims to achieve high standards of packaging and testing in order to provide such an end user experience.
The problem with PCLinuxOS is that it seems to be too good. Result being that users are not having to do much extra to get things working. So that reduces the need for tinkering and hence less exploration and ultimately less knowledge?
Now packaging for PCLinuxOS means a need for a high level of knowledge (as I have recently learnt
) and that can only be gained from reading arising out of curiosity and curiosity comes from fixing things broken.
I would not have known how to change the tyre of my car if it would have never gone flat.
Right now we have very few (I believe their total number can be counted using fingers alone) packagers working for the whole distro. This has lead to a situation where in they are invariably overburdened. Couple that with the high standards expected and the 64 bit release in the works.
If the situation does not improve, I believe our future is in risk.
So we definitely need more PACKAGERS. How can we get them? A distro that insists on installing from source will naturally develop a pool of users knowledgeable and can just pick from that pool. Not so for us.
We on the other hand need to upgrade our lot of regular users who are interested to contribute to the grade of packagers.
How can this be done?
1. Each and every one of us who has benefitted from PCLinuxOS must decide to contribute in some or other way.
2. There must be a definite staircase / path for the interested to follow to reach that goal.
3. A lot of learning can be self taught provided there is easily accessible and initially simple material. So we need to provide such material or links to that in an easily accessible place.
4. An easy place to catch potential packagers could be from the Testers pool. But right now even though the list of signed up testers seems quite large, the actual number of active testers seems to be low. Testers need to be engaged more.
5. I request the existing packagers, however busy they are to try and assist more of those who express interest. (I am very grateful for everyone who has helped me try to find some way and also to the one who has personally expressed desire to take me under his wing so to say)
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This is a call for all those who are interested to learn and contribute packaging for PCLinuxOS from ground zero.
If you are genuinely interested, please answer below.
Let us start an effort....
