Re: task & skills
> Just my two cents for the "hot" discussion about tasks and skills. I am ready
> for blaming from everybody.
>
> In my opinion *every* applicant before he/she become a maintaner should have
> at least *one* sponsored package in the distribution (adopted or new).
>
> The whole NM process looks more like a theoretical exam than practical. It
> doesn't matter how excellent an applicant may describe in his/her own words a
> difference between free beer and free software or how many signatures from
> Debian maintaners he/she has until he/she hasn't more than a fundamental
> knowledge about Debian packaging.
>
> Of course, it may cause the NM process will take more time for some
> applicants but it doesn't matter until we care about a *quality* also and we
> care not only about a *quantity*. If some applicants want to join Debian for
> doing other job than packaging then it doesn't matter if they have accounts
> or haven't (at least until they try to upload something some day).
>
> That's obviously the AM and the sponsor should be different persons if we
> care also about more objective (and more democratic) NM process. Looking for
> sponsors is not so difficult until an applicant has enough motivations and
> patience for doing Debian work. Both these "features" are also very useful in
> this case.
I am applying to become a Debian maintainer. At the moment, I am not
interested in packaging anything. Period. I do not have the time and
would rather exert myself elsewhere. Thus, should I not be made a Debian
maintainer? Will you recommend my rejection?
There is a lot more about debian then making packages. There is
documentation, internationalization and debian internal projects such as
dpkg, apt, the installer, boot floppies and others. These take more than
a single person to code up and a list ends up as the maintainer of the
resulting packages.
How about the maintenance of the servers, is that not a worthy job? Or
perhaps PR? The webpage?
And finally, how about the ports? Are the Debian/BSD port or the
Debian/Hurd port not in need of Debian people?
The thing that bothers me the _most_ is that all of the tasks that I
have listed take _way_ more effort than maintaining some package of
the packages in our archive: many are updated a few times a year, if
that.
> Thanks,
Thank you. If you are still interested in recommending my rejection,
I encourage you to do.
-Neal
--
Neal H Walfield
University of Massachusetts at Lowell
neal@walfield.org or neal@cs.uml.edu
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