The information on this page, while public, will primarily be of interest to future Debian Developers.
Step 1: Application
Before applying, prospective Developers should check that they are prepared for all parts of the checks. To make this as easy as possible, the most important prerequisites are listed below:
The Applicant needs to agree with Debian's Philosophy
It is needed that Applicants have read the Social Contract and the Debian Free Software Guidelines and agree to abide by them in their Debian-related work.
The Applicant's identity needs to be verified
This is done by having at least two signatures on the Applicant's OpenPGP key from Debian Developers. It is also strongly recommended to have more signatures from people who are well connected in the web of trust.
If the Applicant's location makes it impossible to get a key signed by another Debian Developer, a scanned photo of their drivers license or passport signed with their OpenPGP key can be accepted as an alternative method of identification.
The Applicant needs to be able to perform their duties as a developer
This means that the Applicant should have experience of packaging and package maintenance or experience of documenting or translating, depending on the area they want to work in.
It's recommended that Applicants get a sponsor to help them achieve this.
The Applicant needs to have read the developer documentation
Later on in the process, the Application Manager will test the Applicant's knowledge of concepts described in Debian Policy, Developers' Reference, New Maintainers' Guide etc.
The Applicant needs to have enough free time
Finishing the New Member checks and being a Debian Developer requires to invest time on a regular basis. Maintaining packages in the main archive is a big commitment and can require quite a lot of time.
The Applicant needs to have an Advocate
In order to persuade a developer to be your advocate, an Applicant should get involved in Debian development – help tackle open bugs against existing packages, adopt an orphaned package, work on the installer, package useful new software, write or update documentation etc.
Once the Applicant has satisfied the above standards, they can submit their New Member Application.
After receiving the application, the Front Desk manages the application. As soon as someone is available (this can take some weeks), it will assign them as the Application Manager (AM) for the Applicant (i.e. you).
All further communication should happen between the Applicant and their Application Manager, but if problems arise, the Front Desk is your primary contact point.
[ New Members Corner ] [ Applicants' checklist ] [ Step 1 ] [ Step 2 ] [ Step 3 ] [ Step 4 ] [ Step 5 ] [ Step 6 ] [ Step 7 ]