Help testing software

Revision as of 16:27, 17 December 2009

If you are eager to help the Maemo community, there are numerous ways to help. One pretty easy way is to help in application testing. BUT READ THIS DISCLAIMER FIRST: Seriously: don't send users out of Extras without a big warning. A great summary of the different levels of stability (as determined by repository) is in this post.

This article is a beginner-friendly introduction to the Extras-testing repository and testing process.

1 Step by step instructions

Step by step instructions

Finding Things and Getting Started

Ultimately, as you are more comfortable with maemo, you're going to want to refer to the Extras-testing wiki page. This page has some specific guides for those who may be overwhelmed by the extras-testing page.

Finding an App to Test

The applications waiting for testing are listed here by age (the oldest is first). When picking an app to test, note that those that already have 10 or more karma are "done". Don't waste your time on those. Ditto if the package has < -5 karma: such an app obviously needs to be fixed and re-released.

Pick an app to test. Maybe you have a particular interest in seeing one make it to Extras; maybe you just want to help and start at the top (oldest). Click on the link to open the package version page. Make sure you are testing the right version of the app: there may be an earlier version already in extras (which you might have already installed). In fact, there may even be a third version in extras-devel, but that won't show up unless you enable that repository.

In the case you have the Extras version installed, the newest version should show up as an available upgrade if you have the extras-testing repository enabled. You should uninstall the extras version first (rather than upgrading directly) so you can properly check for optification. Before you can install the package from testing, you'll need to add the repository.

Adding the Extras-testing Repository

On your N900 device, go into App Manager, top menu, "Repositories"

and add the following repository:

Name: Maemo Extras Testing

URL: http://repository.maemo.org/extras-testing/

Distribution: fremantle

Sections: free non-free

Enabled: YES

Do "Update".

Click on "Download" and find the app you want to test. make sure the version of the app you have decided to test is the same as the one in testing (remember the package version page you opened in your browser?).

Note: Each new version of the package has to be voted up separately!

Testing for Optification

"Optification" means moving anything of significant size out of the root partition and into the 2 GB /opt partition so that the very cramped 256 MB rootfs doesn't fill up (which can really ruin your day). You see disk usage by using the disk free command (df).

A typical N900 might show the following disk free output:

rootfs use 76%
mmcblk0p2 use 6%

Remember, the idea is to prevent the rootfs from being filled up.

What you want to do is run

df -h | grep -e rootfs -e mmcblk0p2

from the command line before and after you install and see how much the usage of each partition changes. If more than, say, 300 kb (0.3 MB) are added to usage of rootfs, it's too much and the package needs to be optified (so vote it down with that comment). BTW, the above command just filters out the unnecessary lines; you can just type

df -h

if you want. The '-h' gives you the numbers in "human-readable" numbers like MB instead of bytes/blocks/kb.

One of the other tests is that the package uninstalls cleanly. A (partial) way to check this is to uninstall it and see if the df returns to what it was before you installed.

sources: http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=349477&postcount=63 http://danielwilms.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/extras-testing-step-by-step/ http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=431878&postcount=24

Retrieved from "http://wiki.maemo.org/Help_testing_software"

Categories: Development | Power users

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-If you are eager to help the Maemo community, there are numerous ways to help. One pretty easy way is to help in application testing. '''BUT READ THIS DISCLAIMER FIRST:''' [http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32676 Seriously: don't send users out of Extras without a big warning]
+If you are eager to help the Maemo community, there are numerous ways to help. One pretty easy way is to help in application testing. '''BUT READ THIS DISCLAIMER FIRST:''' [http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32676 Seriously: don't send users out of Extras without a big warning]. A great summary of the different levels of stability (as determined by repository) is in [http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=431432&postcount=5 this post].
-This article is about [[Extras-testing]] -repository.
+This article is a beginner-friendly introduction to the [[Extras-testing]] repository and testing process.
 == Step by step instructions ==
+===Finding Things and Getting Started===
+Ultimately, as you are more comfortable with maemo, you're going to want to refer to the [[Extras-testing]] wiki page. This page has some specific guides for those who may be overwhelmed by the extras-testing page.
+===Finding an App to Test===
+The applications waiting for testing are listed [http://maemo.org/packages/repository/qa/fremantle_extras-testing/ here] by age (the oldest is first). When picking an app to test, note that those that already have 10 or more karma are "done". Don't waste your time on those. Ditto if the package has < -5 karma: such an app obviously needs to be fixed and re-released.
+Pick an app to test. Maybe you have a particular interest in seeing one make it to [[Extras]]; maybe you just want to help and start at the top (oldest). Click on the link to open the package version page. Make sure you are testing the right version of the app: there may be an earlier version already in extras (which you might have already installed). In fact, there may even be a third version in extras-devel, but that won't show up unless you enable that repository.
+In the case you have the Extras version installed, the newest version should show up as an available upgrade if you have the extras-testing repository enabled. You should uninstall the extras version first (rather than upgrading directly) so you can properly check for optification. Before you can install the package from testing, you'll need to add the [[repository]].
+===Adding the Extras-testing Repository===
 On your N900 device, go into App Manager, top menu, "Repositories"
@@ Line 28: / Line 40: @@
-*Do "Update", then "Download" and you will see way more packages than if you just use Extras. Install some you like.
+*Do "Update".
+*Click on "Download" and find the app you want to test. make sure the version of the app you have decided to test is the same as the one in testing (remember the package version page you opened in your browser?).
-*Run installed packages. If package runs well, vote it up. If it crashes, vote it down and leave a comment. Voting and commenting happens here:
+'''Note: Each new version of the package has to be voted up separately!'''
-[http://maemo.org/packages/repository/qa/fremantle_extras-testing/ http://maemo.org/packages/repository/qa/fremantle_extras-testing/]
-'''Note: Each new version of the package has to be voted up separately!'''
+===Testing for Optification===
+"Optification" means moving anything of significant size out of the root partition and into the 2 GB /opt partition so that the very cramped 256 MB rootfs doesn't fill up (which can really ruin your day). You see disk usage by using the disk free command (df).
+A typical N900 might show the following disk free output:
+* rootfs use 76%
+* mmcblk0p2 use 6%
+Remember, the idea is to prevent the rootfs from being filled up.
+What you want to do is run
+ df -h | grep -e rootfs -e mmcblk0p2
+from the command line before and after you install and see how much the usage of each partition changes. If more than, say, 300 kb (0.3 MB) are added to usage of rootfs, it's too much and the package needs to be optified (so vote it down with that comment). BTW, the above command just filters out the unnecessary lines; you can just type
+ df -h
+if you want. The '-h' gives you the numbers in "human-readable" numbers like MB instead of bytes/blocks/kb.
+One of the other tests is that the package uninstalls cleanly. A (partial) way to check this is to uninstall it and see if the df returns to what it was before you installed.
@@ Line 41: / Line 69: @@
 http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=349477&postcount=63
 http://danielwilms.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/extras-testing-step-by-step/
+http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p=431878&postcount=24
 [[Category:Development]]
 [[Category:Power users]]

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