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Getting Involved with Tachyon 24.04 Development

Ubuntu 24.04 on Tachyon is a community-driven effort. We warmly welcome contributions, feedback, and participation from developers both inside and outside Particle. Whether you’ve found a bug, fixed a hardware issue, or want to add a new feature, here’s how you can join us in making Tachyon’s software better.

Community Forum & Discussion​

The best place to start is the Particle Community Forum, specifically the Tachyon section. We have an ongoing discussion thread for the Ubuntu 24.04 build where updates are posted and developers can ask questions or share findings. Join the conversation here: Ubuntu 24.04 Development Thread (link to the forum thread).

In the forum, you can:

  • Ask for help if you’re having trouble building or flashing the image.
  • Report issues you discovered when using the 24.04 image (please include logs or steps to reproduce).
  • See what others are working on – perhaps someone is already tackling the feature you care about, and you can collaborate.
  • Share interim builds or binaries if you need assistance testing your changes.

The forum is monitored by Particle’s engineers (you might see posts by Particle staff like @mrlambchop) and many experienced community members.

GitHub Repositories​

All source code for the Tachyon 24.04 system is available on GitHub under the Particle organization (particle-iot). The main repositories include:

If you spot an issue or have an enhancement:

  • Check for existing issues or discussions on that repo’s issue tracker.
  • Open a GitHub Issue if you want to discuss a bug or propose a change before implementing it.
  • When ready, fork the repo, commit your changes, and open a Pull Request.

We use standard GitHub PR workflows. A Particle team member will review your PR. Don’t be discouraged if we ask questions or request changes – it’s part of ensuring quality and compatibility.

Contributor License Agreement (CLA)​

In order to contribute code to Particle’s open-source projects, you’ll need to sign our Contributor License Agreement. This is a one-time process. When you open your first Pull Request, a CLA assistant should prompt you (for example, a bot comment with a link to sign electronically). It’s a quick process to ensure you agree to the terms (which are based on standard open-source CLA terms, ensuring we can integrate your contributions).

If for some reason the CLA prompt doesn’t appear, you can find Particle’s CLA on our GitHub or website. (Refer to Particle’s contributor documentation or ask on the forum for the latest link if needed.) You must sign the CLA for your contributions to be accepted.

Development Tips and Help​

  • Start Small: If you’re new to this project, a great way to begin is by tackling a small issue. For example, enabling an LED or fixing a typo in documentation. This helps you get familiar with the process.
  • Ask for Guidance: Unsure how to implement something? Post on the forum or open a draft PR and mark it as “WIP” (Work in Progress) asking for input. The Particle team can provide pointers (for instance, which datasheet to consult or which part of the code to look at).
  • Testing Your Changes: Whenever you make a change, test it thoroughly if you can. For hardware changes, try them on your Tachyon and see if the issue is resolved without introducing new problems. If you don’t have the means to test a change (e.g., adding support for a device you don’t own), mention that in your PR – perhaps someone in the community can test for you, or Particle can run it through our internal test devices.

Next Steps and Roadmap​

Particle is actively developing this Ubuntu 24.04 build. Our internal roadmap includes milestones like:

  • Getting USB OTG fully working.
  • Enabling the general-purpose I/O and integrated sensors.
  • Display and camera support.
  • Polishing the user experience (installer, updates, etc.).
  • Eventually releasing an official stable 24.04 image for all Tachyon users.

By participating now, you’re on the cutting edge and can influence the direction of the platform. We greatly appreciate early testers and contributors – your feedback helps us catch issues and your contributions can accelerate features.

Once your contribution is merged, it will be incorporated in upcoming builds. You’ll be credited in release notes, and you get the satisfaction of improving an open-source project that others will use.

Feedback and Support​

Beyond development contributions, simply using the 24.04 preview and reporting your experience is valuable:

  • Let us know if you find areas of the documentation unclear so we can improve guides like this one.
  • If you encounter a bug, report it with as much detail as possible (logs, steps, environment info).
  • If you have ideas for enhancements (even if you can’t implement them yourself), share them – someone else might pick it up.

Together with our community, we’re building a powerful, open platform around Tachyon. We’re excited to work alongside you and see what we can collectively achieve. Happy hacking, and welcome aboard the Tachyon 24.04 development journey!