Healthy CDDs
Channel: DebConf Videos
Date: 2017-11-24

by Andreas Tille

At: DebConf8
http://penta.debconf.org/dc8_schedule/events/242.en.html
https://debconf8.debconf.org/

Strategies for building a Custom Debian Distribution

The talk will give an overview of the status of the Debian-Med
project and how it could work as an example for other CDDs.  Considering
that specific things about medical software is of quite low interest
for the DebConf audience the main focus of the talk will be the way
from a one-man idea to a fully grown team that is working contiuosely
to enhance Debian for a specific user group.  Experiences are shared
how good tools and reasonable managemend can help to attract people -
users and developers.

The Debian-Med CDD was started in January 2002 and has evolved a lot
since this time.  Debian now becomes the distribution of choice for
people who are working in the field of medicine.  On the one hand this
can be obtained from the increase of pure numbers of packages in the
field of medicine.

On the other hand - which is even more interesting for general Debian
development - a group was formed that has developed a certain way of
cooperation which might serve as an example for other teams.  Debian
knows a lot of technical teams focussing onto technical issues
(pkg-perl, pkg-python, d-i, etc.). An important part of the project is
to involve people who call themselves "pure users" or "non-developers"
(whatever this might mean) as it is done at a certain amount by the
i18n and Debian Edu team.

So this talk is not about boring the audience by mentioning medical
Free Software - it exists at a certain amount out there as other
specific software does as well - but rather how to attract people to a
topic where FLOSS is not common but should.  It will give examples for
our way to advertise Free Software in medicine which is heavily
dominated by proprietary software, which tools we developed inside the
CDD framework to be always up to date with our web pages that are
intended to attract users to Debian and last but not least the lessons
we have learned in the project that might be of high interest for
other CDDs (or potential CDDs).  Examples are given for project
management, attracting people by working techniques and making sure
that medical software finds a good home in Debian.

Room: Salon del mar
Scheduled start: 2008-08-12 16:00:00