I, Phil Roche, apply for Ubuntu Contributing Developer and upload rights for package livecd-rootfs.

I am applying because:

• I want to share more responsibility for developing and maintaining livecd-rootfs.
• I'd like to eliminate delays in getting my work sponsored.
• I'd like to reduce the burden on my sponsors.

Who I am

I am a software developer working on the development and delivery of Ubuntu cloud images for download and on major cloud platforms. I work with the FoundationsTeam and ServerTeam to provide a consistent Ubuntu experience across these platforms.

My Ubuntu story

I have been an Ubuntu desktop and server user since at least 2005 and an Ubuntu cloud user since at least 2010. I have been an Ubuntu member since 2020. I primarily began contributing to Ubuntu when I joined Canonical in 2016. I am a member of the Canonical Public Cloud team and I enjoy working on all aspects of Ubuntu server in the cloud. Working on Ubuntu and having such a broad impact is a privilege.

My involvement

Examples of my work / Things I'm proud of

simplestreams highlights:

• git commits to the simplestreams project

ubuntu-seeds highlights:

• git commits as part of mantic minimal seed transition

livecd-rootfs highlights:

• Revert of initramfs package removal in KVM image (LP: #1880170)

• Revert of initramfs package removal in KVM image (LP: #1880170)

• Revert of initramfs package removal in KVM image (LP: #1875400)

• Bump UEFI disk image size for armhf to 3.5 GB (LP: #1953609)

• Do not install recommends for ubuntu-cpc minimized project (LP: #2031640)

• Sort filelists creating when building ubuntu-cpc images (LP: #2033677)

• Create .filelist in ubuntu-cpc project binary hooks that do not use create_manifest shared function (LP: #2033751)

• ensure minimize-manual script uses passed in argument for all commands (LP: #2036198)

• armhf flavour for 6.5+ kernel is now generic (LP: #2036192)

All livecd-rootfs git commits (11) / submitted bugs (9) / livecd-rootfs merge proposal reviews (28)

For reference I used new tool launchpad_mp_review_inspector to generate the list of livecd-rootfs merge proposal reviews

Sponsored work [email protected]

Sponsored work Philip Roche

Areas of work

I work closely with the FoundationsTeam and ServerTeam to provide a consistent Ubuntu server experience across cloud platforms. I really enjoy the relationships I have with the developers on these teams and I think they work well.

With the exception of Ubuntu 21.10, and working closely with the Ubuntu release team I have been heavily involved in all aspects of releasing Ubuntu Cloud images for new Ubuntu Releases since Ubuntu 16.10.

Our team relies heavily on livecd-rootfs and our close relationship with the FoundationsTeam has been critical. We use livecd-rootfs every day to build cloud images (base and minimal), LXD images, buildd images, core (for Docker images). Being so critical to my work I want to be able to perform uploads to respect the time of other developers and make my workflow faster. Having PPU rights for livecd-rootfs would help myself and my team get changes into livecd-rootfs but I do not want it to separate us from foundations.

I am applying for livecd-rootfs per package upload rights. Since joining Canonical's public cloud team I have been actively using, reviewing and reporting bugs on the livecd-rootfs project. I am very familiar with it's codebase and I understand how to debug most areas of the code base, especially the code paths for producing Ubuntu cloud images.

Things I could do better

• Make time for general distro work

Plans for the future

General

• Work on the distro more broadly to progress towards ubuntu-cloud packageset upload rights

• Public documententation of the public cloud changes being introduced in newer devel releases
• More packaging work to gain depth there
• Move to using seeds for package installs instead of installing individual packages in image build hooks

What I like least in Ubuntu

Documentation, specifically around the discovery/use of cloud images and their features. This is something the Public Cloud team are actively working to improve @ https://canonical.github.io/ubuntu-cloud-docs/.

Comments

Andrew Cloke

Phil has worked closely with the livecd-rootfs code base for a number of years. It is a complex codebase, with significant heritage. Phil has a solid track record of taking strong ownership, and is always fast to react in the event of an untoward issue.

Phil is a careful, precise and detail-focused staff engineer with many years of development experience.

It would be a great benefit to the CPC team (as well as reducing the burden on sponsors) for Phil to be awarded upload rights to livecd-rootfs.

-- andrew-cloke 2023-09-01 16:37:20

Łukasz 'sil2100' Zemczak

I have seen Phil's work on livecd-rootfs multiple times in the past. Even though I have not sponsored any of his work officially, I know that he understands the code and feels comfortable enough to receive upload rights for the package. I also worked with Phil multiple times in the past and I can vouch for his attention to detail.

-- sil2100 2023-09-04 18:56:09

Dimitri John Ledkov (xnox)

General feedback

I have worked with Phil on many code changes to live-build, livecd-rootfs, and derivative code bases based on that. Including a wide ranging changes to many packages in the archive which are then later customized by Phil in his private work. Specifically we have worked a lot on ensuring that Ubuntu boots correctly with and without initrd, able to correctly sort grub flavors when multiple ones are installed, and ensure package pinning upgrade/downgrades work correctly. His usage and expertise of the Ubuntu system is extensive with a very different perspective of customizing it and consuming Ubuntu to what regular Ubuntu developers have.

Areas of Improvement

I wish Phil did more upstream contributions to systemd, linux kernel, grub, ubuntu-release-upgrader - but I am not sure if he has capacity to work on that, despite having insight and the technical skills to do that.

-- xnox 2023-09-05 15:28:52

John 'jchittum' Chittum

General feedback

Phil has done fantastic work on livecd-rootfs and the Ubuntu distro in general. On livecd-rootfs, there are some specific recent work on ubuntu-cpc images, working with Utkarsh "utkarsh" Gupta on new minimal seeds, and building ubuntu-cpc minimized images. Phil has done deep work going into the entire system, identifying issues in live-build through livecd-rootfs, creating new packaging recipes of livecd-rootfs specific for ubuntu-cpc, and working on internal PPA publishing. Phil has the capabilities to do more distro work as well, and has been writing lots of system tools that are snapped, and being utilized by various Ubuntu devs (not just his team, promise)

Areas of Improvement

echoing xnox, would like to see more distro work. Phil has the capabilities, so it's a matter of time and basic guidance on specific packages to broaden the package sets for uploading.

-- -- jchittum 2023-09-05 15:45:44

If you'd like to comment, but are not the applicant or a sponsor, do it here. Don't forget to sign with @SIG@.

Endorsements

Steve Langasek

General feedback

livecd-rootfs is one of the most important native packages in Ubuntu, as it is the code used for all Ubuntu images, for all targets and flavors. It is also one of the most difficult codebases to work with because of its history of accreted rather than designed functionality and its shell-based implementation. Phil has nevertheless shown himself adept at managing the bothersome codebase, with changes I've sponsored such as this, this, this, and this, which includes appropriately handling SRU cases. I certainly trust him to make decisions for this package on behalf of the Cloud team.

-- vorlon 2023-09-18 04:37:50

I also have support from my testimonials in my Ubuntu member application for Contributing Developer membership.

As a sponsor, just copy the template below, fill it out and add it to this section.

TEMPLATE

== <SPONSORS NAME> ==
=== General feedback ===
## Please fill us in on your shared experience. (How many packages did you sponsor? How would you judge the quality? How would you describe the improvements? Do you trust the applicant?)

=== Specific Experiences of working together ===
''Please add good examples of your work together, but also cases that could have handled better.''
## Full list of sponsored packages can be generated here:
##  https://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/ubuntu-sponsorships.cgi
=== Areas of Improvement ===

`@`SIG`@`