Application - MOTU - Otto Kekäläinen

Community Ubuntu Developer Membership
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I don’t see any prior MOTU applications here, but I assume they should be sent here after reading the docs at https://documentation.ubuntu.com/project/who-makes-ubuntu/developers/dmb-application/#dmb-create-a-discourse-post

I, Otto Kekäläinen, apply for MOTU.

I am applying because:

  • I’d like to eliminate delays in getting my work sponsored and reduce the burden on my sponsors.
  • I’d like to be able to without having to wait for a sponsor to restart failed builds in Launchpad for Debian->Ubuntu syncs for packages in universe.
  • I’d like to be able to without having to wait for a sponsor to restart failed autopkgtests in Ubuntu while debugging why migrations from *-proposed are stuck on packages in universe.
  • I’d like to be able to upload fixes in Ubuntu, or to sync fixes from Debian that drives down the delta without having to wait for a sponsor to repeat most of my work.
  • I plan to increase my involvement in Ubuntu directly, instead of only working via Debian.

Who I am

I’ve been a devoted Free and Open Source advocate since ~1999, spending the majority of my career in software companies built on top of open source (e.g. Seravo, AWS).

My Ubuntu story

My involvement

I’ve been involved with Ubuntu since 2005 as a user, translator and contributor in many ways, such as running the Ubuntu.fi website for many years. I am also a Debian Developer since 2015 and an Ubuntu Developer with per-package upload permissions since 2016.

I am now applying for my Ubuntu Developer membership to be upgraded to MOTU permissions, which allows me to, for example, upload new packages to Ubuntu (others still need to approve them in the queue).

Examples of my work

Due to 20+ years of history, the list of all my Debian/Ubuntu work is very long. I am currently listed as the maintainer/uploader for 62 packages in Debian, I am mentoring about a dozen aspiring Debian contributors, and I also help drive some community and infrastructure improvements, such as keeping the Debian Enhancement Proposals website alive and maintaining the Salsa CI pipeline.

Most of my work that helps Ubuntu is done via Debian, such as packaging new packages and maintaining existing ones. Some Ubuntu-specific work is also done in Debian, such as adding Ubuntu-support in the Salsa CI pipeline.

Direct Ubuntu-specific work is limited to following up on Launchpad bugs in my packages, and closing delta created in Ubuntu in Debian. Only very few of my packages require direct uploads to Ubuntu, mainly the security and stable maintenance updates of MariaDB and Galera. The Ubuntu Security Notices list 20+ MariaDB issues I have helped fix in the past ~10 years.

Apart from the seeds system, I am familiar with all the topics listed as requirements for DMB applications. For all my packages in Debian I frequently check the Ubuntu delta status, request deltas to be removed, encourage Ubuntu devs to send their patches directly to Debian and I make sure they get quickly merged. When doing uploads to Debian close to Ubuntu freezes I am considerate to ensure there are no major transitions or risky changes in Debian unstable at those times. After uploads to Debian and if detecting that they don’t sync to Ubuntu I frequently debug the Launchpad builds and excuse lists myself. These actions do not lead to Launchpad bugs or clear written artifacts to present. If I am granted MOTU I will have more opportunities to do changes that are directly visible in Ubuntu.

Related, I have also been contributing to several upstream projects that benefit Ubuntu, such as AppArmor, rdiff-backup and more.

Areas of work

My personal blog at https://optimizedbyotto.com/ dives into many of my Debian/Ubuntu enhancement areas, which lately have been related to improving the packaging workflows and hardening supply-chain security.

I have been spending most of my time on open source development as an independent consultant since I left my corporate position in March 2025.

I am currently exploring where I could possibly have the largest positive impact on the open source ecosystems, and thus my areas of work are pretty wide.

Things I could do better

I should be more involved in Ubuntu, as working via Debian yields results too slowly. I should also attend more in-person events to have more discussions in person that seem to fuel finding consensus and craft plans much faster than async online interactions.

Plans for the future

General

I am trying to find out where I could make the most positive impact right now.

What I like least in Ubuntu

Ubuntu changes sometimes too fast without processes and documentation keeping up. However, lately this seems to have been identified, and a lot of effort has gone into improving documentation and making processes clear and universal.

Please leave comments and endorsements as replies to this post.

3 Likes
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I endorse Otto’s application as he has been fundamental for the security team to keep up with mariadb security fixes, where Otto has been preparing those updates with high quality. I’m sure that becoming a MOTU will allow Otto do more in that regards.

1 Like
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I endorse Otto for MOTU.

Sponsoring feedback

I sponsored several MariaDB uploads as a set of SRU version updates. This bug and it’s merge requests were very well prepared, and make use of the SRU exception he created. Likewise, the use of SalsaCI to check for regressions is incredibly useful.

I have also done multiple syncs to keep MariaDB in Ubuntu up to date with Otto’s updates from Debian.

Specific experiences of working together

Most of our work together comes from Debian. I have reviewed various MariaDB and Galera updates there via salsa merge requests. These updates have then synced into the Ubuntu devel release. We have also collaborated on packaging design for MySQL and MariaDB.

Otto was also very helpful when it came to my Debian Developer journey. I really appreciate the guidance there!

Areas of improvement and next steps

Otto has done an incredible amount of work in open source and Debian. The next steps from here would be to do even more direct Ubuntu contributions, especially via SRUs to stable releases. I think MOTU permissions will help substantially with this.

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I endorse Otto’s application for MOTU. I didn’t sponsor any package upload for Otto, but I had opportunities to discuss packaging related topics with Otto, and to see first hand work he has done on non-trivial packages (mostly MariaDB). I have no doubt Otto has all the technical knowledge needed to be a MOTU uploader.

An area we worked together is enabling testing on Ubuntu as using Salsa CI pipeline jobs. Working at this made clear that Otto knows the relevant differences in how Ubuntu and Debian are developed, and is able to constructively interact with both projects, often initiating and driving complex and far-reaching discussions. From following and participating in these discussion I know Otto can be trusted with MOTU upload rights right now.