Re: mICQ roundup

[Marc Haber <mh+debian-devel@zugschlus.de>]

On Sat, 15 Feb 2003 22:36:02 +0100, Rüdiger Kuhlmann
<debian-list-Z03BQH65YjkN@ruediger-kuhlmann.de> wrote:
>There's also the reputation of mICQ at stake. Does Debian improve the
>reputation of mICQ by shipping an old version of mICQ? Does Debian improve
>the reputation of mICQ by shipping a version with an extremely annyoing bug
>that could trivially be fixed, and refusing to fix it several times?

You are complaining about our release process, which is well
documented. The release process says: Once it's frozen, we only add
bug fixes. And once it's stable, we only add security fixes.

Please note that we are also damaging the reputation of the KDE
project by shipping an old version, that we are damaging the
reputation of XFree86 by shipping an old version, and we are damaging
the reputation of exim by not even having a current version in
unstable.

>Does
>Debian improve my reputation as an OSS software author by removing my name
>from the copyright file? Does Debian improve its own reputation by shipping
>a version of mICQ that because of the last point isn't even legal to
>distribute, though Debian is so extremely retinent about free vs non-free?

You might have points here. So don't mix these things up.

>Think about it. And think about the update procedures in stable.

We won't do that. The stable release process is fairly OK. It is
responsible for Debian's reputation of being slightly outdated, but
rock stable to use in production environments. When we light-heartedly
start accepting new software versions, we might risk that reputation.

What we probably should do is releasing more often, and having a
repository of new software versions that work on stable, without the
guarantee of having that software as smooth as the software we
actually released.

>I could have
>sent a message to debian-devel, that's true. Would anyone have listened to
>an unknown wannabe developer on it?

Yes. When I was not yet a maintainer, people listened to me. I don't
think this has changed.

And, btw, you are not an unknown wannabe developer, but an upstream
author.

>Some maintainer needed a lesson
>to start listening, and he got it. It unfortunately was required.

IMO the price you made all of us pay to make some maintainer listening
is way too high.

Greetings
Marc

-- 
-------------------------------------- !! No courtesy copies, please !! -----
Marc Haber          |   " Questions are the         | Mailadresse im Header
Karlsruhe, Germany  |     Beginning of Wisdom "     | Fon: *49 721 966 32 15
Nordisch by Nature  | Lt. Worf, TNG "Rightful Heir" | Fax: *49 721 966 31 29