Help Out With Packages You Use in Debian

| debian | linux |

Many new and existing Debian users want to help make the distribution  better but do not quite know where to begin. Debian comes with a very handy package called how-can-i-help which tells you after each aptinvocation the current bugs that are associated with packages on your system. The “Work-Needing and Perspective Packages” (WNPP) listing is a bit overwhelming for new contributors. What better way to figure out what packages need your help than by seeing a list of them each time you use apt.

The first time you run apt after installing this package it will likely spit out a long list of packages that need your help. Each subsequent time it will only show new packages or changes. In order to see the master list again you can use the how-can-i-help –old command to see all packages that need your help. I think this is a great way to get engaged with the software that you rely on each day.

Although getting started with Debian development is not trivial, this lowers the barrier a bit and provides some clear direction on what to work on since the list includes packages that you are using every day.

Thank you for reading! Share your thoughts with me on bluesky, mastodon, or via email.

Check out some more stuff to read down below.

Most popular posts this month

Recent Favorite Blog Posts

This is a collection of the last 8 posts that I bookmarked.

Articles from blogs I follow around the net

Weekend Update #12

The weekly update, plus bits and bobs that caught my attention this week.

via ODonnellWeb March 30, 2025

Katherine Yang

Artist, developer, crafter

via Uses This March 30, 2025

"An off switch? She'll get years for that."

Vizio: "Please enjoy falling asleep to these calming nature scenes, occasionally punctuated with unhinged fascist rants. As a treat." I left the tv idle while I went to the other room to play with my dog. After about a half an hour, I started heari…

via jwz March 29, 2025

Generated by openring