Key transition

I started a key transition around DebConf last year upgrading from my 1024-bit GPG key I've had about as long as I've had this blog.  At the time, Debian's requirements for new maintainers was 2048 bits, so that's what I used.  It's now 4096 bits.  I learned this as I was preparing to send an email to newmaint asking to become a DM.  So that's a bit of a waste.  I have signatures on both the old ones, so below I will include a blurb signed by each of the old keys in case one of the previous signers is willing to take that as proof enough to sign the new one. Yes, the new key is signed by both of the old ones.

1. Old keyID: BC8D3269 - blurb signed by old key
2. Old new keyID: 340950E8 - blurb signed by old new key
3. New new keyID: 36535A82 - blurb signed by new key

I'll be revoking the old 1024-bit key by my birthday (1 September). The 2048 one will probably stick around at least until after the next thing I go to with lots of Debian & Ubuntu folks, to allow the new one time to get more signatures, since I hear weakening your spot in the web of trust is a bad thing.

Future uploaders

After seeing someone say on the Debian Women mailing list that she maintains 4 packages but isn't sure she's good enough for upload rights in Debian, I was had a thought again that I've had before but don't think I've ever said here. If you're a sponsor, and you think you're sponsee is ready, tell them!
Rich Johnson once told me he was uploading through sponsors for years before his sponsors finally got annoyed enough to scold him into applying for MOTU. I've also been told that Sarah Hobbse's application for core-dev was submitted by a sponsor with a note to be on IRC at a certain time for the meeting, when the sponsors decided the person was taking too long to apply. Possibly true, given the person who told me that used to be on the MOTU Council (the council that used to approve new MOTU before the Developer Membership Board came along). ScottK has corroborated that story.

Embarrassing Advertising

Want to see a prime example of advertising that is in no way going to help the goal of getting members of the other half of the population interested in Ubuntu? It's right here!

Thanks, OMGUbuntu!, for being an embarrassment. Oh, and responding to complaints about it with "Funny how companies can get away with using massive sex appeal in advertising but as soon as we try it, it's apparently 'not okay.'" takes a lot of ignorance. As if nobody complains about sexism in other advertising? Yeah, right!

The response to another complaint was "How is driving away FOSS-promoting companies that use fairly mundane sexual marketing encouraging Ubuntu's mainstream adoption?" Guess what? Driving away half the potential users doesn't exactly count as good promotion or promoting mainstream adoption.

And you know what? No, this isn't the first time that tabloid has used sexualisation and objectification to get their precious page views.

I know, most of my posts lately have been political. I'm sorry about that. Having been busy with finals, graduating, moving (twice), and starting a new job, I've not had much time to spend on thinking of topics. Sometimes, topics just throw themselves in my lap, though.