Thread: Launchpad source code released

Canonical, the entity behind the Ubuntu project, has open-sourced the code that runs Launchpad under version 3 of the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPLv3). Launchpad is used to build Ubuntu and thousands of other projects, and its users can now participate directly in the development of Launchpad itself.

Launchpad allows developers to host and share code from many different sources using the Bazaar version control system, which is integrated into it.

Translators can collaborate on translations across many different projects. End-users identify bugs affecting one or more projects so that developers can then triage and resolve those bugs. Contributors can write, propose, and manage software specifications. In addition, Launchpad erases barriers to collaboration by
enabling people to support each other's efforts across different project hosting services, both through its Web interface and its APIs. Launchpad has everything software projects, open source or not, need to be successful.

Canonical founder and CEO, Mark Shuttleworth, said: "Projects that are hosted on Launchpad are immediately connected to every other project hosted there in a way that makes it easy to collaborate on code, translations, bug fixes and feature design, across project boundaries. Rather than hosting individual projects, we host a massive and connected community that collaborates together across many projects. Making Launchpad itself open source gives users the ability to improve the service they use every day.