Fedora Project Insider

User who follows Life: Infinity, Freedom and Voice.

Dear Fedorians!

The Insight team is looking for help, aid, we would like to grab more people for the development of the project called Fedora Insight[1].
But what is that Insight? Those who don’t know this project here is an short description:

Fedora Insight is a Drupal-based website that serves as a place to publish and share news, articles related to Fedora and Fedora marketing materials in various formats. Insight makes it easy for users, developers, and journalists — people who aren’t yet a part of the Fedora contributor community — to keep up with recent highlights without following a dozen different blogs and mailing lists.

We believe you can help us in Insight development. Currently we are looking for the following people:

1. Theme creator

Knows the combination of HTML, CSS and a little bit of PHP. To this you need only some Drupal theme docs [2][3] and you could successfully contribute, to be available an Drupal 7 theme for Insight. If you are interested, you’ll find our wiki [3] how can you make contact with us, and where you could find the Drupal theme (sample) files.

2. PHP (+Drupal) developer

If you know PHP, but would like to learn Drupal either, then you’re our perfect candidate.
Currently we have an actively maintained FAS auth module [4] for Drupal 6, what we would like to update to Drupal 7. Also we could provide an documentation [5] for this, what is available on drupal.org. We use the Feature module, what makes easy the development flow. More about this – check at [6] here.

3. Testers, Use case testers

It’s important, that we must test it out every piece of code, an we do it as we could. Sadly, sometimes some bugs are appearing when it’s unwanted, or it’s stays hidden, or we haven’t met. Therefore we appreciate anybody who could help to discover and report bugs. Tester can be anybody from the community, no need any special knowledge. We need also people who help to test out the mentioned FAS auth and Drupal 7 Mediawiki modules, the calendar module, and the site itself. All this can be done on our testing site [7]. But here pre-registration is required, because the FAS module has been temporarily disabled.

To be able help our work, please send an mail to our mailing list [8], with an short introduction that includes FAS, and the job that would like to help us. After this you’ll receive the necessary access rights, if the work needs that. (eg. like you would like to make an theme).

Also, you as a future important contributor of the project, we awaiting you – and everyone else online at Fudcon Blacksburg 2012, where we’ll put great emphasis to the calendar module [9], and we ask you to share any kind of idea, critics around it, or just contact with us through the IRC – at fedora-mktg channel. We gladly help your first steps.

[1] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Insight
[2] http://drupal.org/update/themes/6/7
[3] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/How_to_work_on_the_Insight_theme
[4] http://git.fedorahosted.org/git/?p=drupal6-authfas.git;a=summary
[5] http://drupal.org/update/modules/6/7
[6] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Insight_development_using_Features_module
[7] https://insight02.dev.fedoraproject.org
[8] https://lists.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/logistics
[9] https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Insight_use_cases_for_calendar

Hi Guys,

After all when I received earlier that tiny less than half kg package from Spain, never thought that machine how small can be. My Ben Nanonote just arrived in few weeks before, and I’m really happy with it. Why?

• It’s simple, tiny, and it has all the functions that the big ones have.
• Truly cheap, and I have received also an pouch, stickers, cleaning cloth, and USB cable in a box. Thx Tuxbrain S.L.
• Tiny hacking station in your pocket (whenever I have lust, I could do anything)
• The “oooh” factor is big: No one believes that is an serious device, until I turn on with different UI’s, what plays movies with bare 300 Mhz

…. and more.

Why am I purchased this thing? Because I see the versatility inside of this device, and I would like to hack on it and turn into an almost new device. I have connected to the Sharism community, and want to see an running mobile Fedora on this…. including with an dock, and a bit few redesigns.

My first thing was to begun the translation of the manual, and added few experiences to it after usage, and possibilities – hopefully it will be accepted later on. As I see I will need someone who could do for me with his RepRap 3D printer the redesigned covers – but this is long term plans. Finally I see the possibility to have an totally copyleft pc in my pocket that usable to many things.

I think this video made me thinking, and I find more and more projects – that provides to us with robotics and automation such freedom that doesn’t exists yet…. But nobody thinks that Sahara, or any sand-world are our most richest resources…. Like the RepRap project, witch is amazing – but still uses plastic to form things, that based on oil -  but this is quite interesting.

Just think on build sewer pipes from sand…. or anything that is needed….

Check it:

I have lately playing with QRCode, and fallen into my mind one thing. How cool could it be if we are using free code for reading QR codes with our integrated webcam – not just for scanning rebates/coupons/tickets with webcam online – else identifying, (log in to FAS) events handling (reading them with mobile to put your reminder), or anything else as enclosed to in standard QR code. I have looked through the net, and it seems that not only me is who has thoughts like that.

Take a look that pages [1], [2]. There is currently no such program module, or applet what connects webcams of mobile computers (netbooks eg.). But it seems that there are hope.

But mainly after I saw Mairín’s the redesign of our Fedora pages, then I could tell it would be cool to integrate next to the dates of our events, meetings – so if somebody wants could pick up with their phone the events, or more. Btw, I could feel that not just with that could be more organised, or synchronised…. Or simply an click to an file what inserts the event to our calendars, or thunderbird – would be nice I think… or even combined: Behind the QR code picture the user per click could download the dates, details what automatically inserts to the event handler…

[1] http://wensheng.com/camscan.php – Probe for scanning

[2] http://blog.wensheng.com/2009/10/poc-online-barcode-qrcode-scan-with.html – Blog about it

I know, not usual thing about to write an new contributor arrival to our Fedora planet, but I feel that has real potential to must do it. I have earlier made successful contact an with an new contributor, who wants to be a part of our Design team. I have heard about her works, and tried to reach her – because she and their classmates are creating awesome patterns, graphics, and paintings. Not many times happens that a girl directly wants to contribute their designs to our disposal under CC-BY-SA license. When we first time met, we talked a lot, and tried to show our works around Fedora – and it seemed to me that she really likes it. Her name is Sylvia (on the left), and she is the first artist from our Western Hungarian University, Szombathely – Art & Design faculty with handcraft specialisation, as textile technician. She loves creating patterns (even as beloved hobby), and mainly dealing with silk screen techniques and their implementation at school. But she has also an degree as an qualified clothes technician. As she says:

“My life now revolves around patterns and textiles. This is a most serious hobby. In my free time I like painting, sewing, batik textiles. But of course, all this while I am open to many things. I like to challenge myself. I have already into signed FAS account, and Zoltan will lead through rest of the process as my time allows (and get acquainted with Fedora Design spin), and I hope that I gain more help from Fedora designers.”

We have agreed that I need to and must visit this university to have an talk about Fedora and our Design spin. By the way, I’m not a pro in design and graphics, but I really would like to have someone who makes talk here once if I gain more contacts and succeed, because I have asked that let us in into their classroom later on.

Oh, and here is one more thing what Sylvia has left to our community through me. Her first free wave of patterns. Yeah, and she promised that there will be more, what includes clothes designs too. Currently I have these files zipped at my fedora people FTP, so if you need such files – go grab it from here. So, I’m really happy to have her on our side – and I will be on it that to get more contributors as she is.

I have tried to make several contacts here at Hungary, and call my relationships to have an  great Fedora event in next year.

We are sadly missed out somehow in this year by some crucial technical mailing reasons one the biggest event at Szeged, but for the upcoming FSF event at Budapest we will participate hopefully, and represent Fedora. I surely will be on it, and try to ensure to have at least one or two talks by Chris Wickert. In paralell I also try to make new contacts, to have more possibilities. I have spread some mails to bigger Universities, and talked with few guys from my old contacts, and it seems channels are opening.

My first contact was at Pécs, and my mentor Kital has successfully talked with my contact at Faculty of Science. I hope this will go out in positive way, to have an event at May. My second and third contact will appear shortly if I get an confirming mail from Veszprém, or Győr.
I have good contact with several hungarian hw distributors, also with the smallest green pc “fit-pc2″ – who will be also on Budapest event, and he will accept our support if he gets. I have seen that Fedora Mini will support, so if the developers want an direct testing, then here awaits an team in jumpstart.

It seems I will have an busy winter season, to make our first gnome-ish footsteps deeply here at Hungary and make great events.

Wish me luck guys,

Zoltan