Re: [Debconf-team] Protecting Debian from DebConf issues? (was: Collaboratively drafting the next DebConf) delegation
On 22/10/15 at 07:01 +1300, martin f krafft wrote:
> also sprach Lucas Nussbaum <lucas@debian.org> [2015-10-20 19:49 +1300]:
> > Given that the chairs are supposed to protect the Debian Project
> > from serious issues with DebConf organization,
>
> This concern seems to be at the root of both delegations so far.
>
> I don't have my tongue in my cheek here at all, but have we ever
> stepped back and answered the question what threats could put the
> Debian Project at jeopardy which couldn't have been prevented
> through a functioning team even without sledgehammer powers?
You've twisted my words a bit here.
I see DebConf as a very important event for Debian. Quoting "Words from
the DPL" from the DC13 final report:
Debian contributors have long understood the central contribution of
DebConf to the success of Debian. Each year, Debian geeks from all
over the world look forward to that event, and for many of them,
including myself, DebConf is simply unmissable. DebConf is so
important because it feels like it exists in a suspended reality: a
reality where Debian enthusiasts, who during the year fight hard to
find free time slots to work on Debian, can finally do so 24x7.
From the outside, DebConf could be seen as a hacking event, and the
number of IP addresses per attendee could reinforce that feeling. But
it is actually primarily a social event. It enables Debian
contributors to put faces to names (and nicknames), meet with each
other, talk about future ideas and design plans, strengthen the ties
within the Debian community, and smooth grudges that arise when
communicating only over the Internet.
Debian should protect itself from serious issues with DebConf
organization, not only because some of those issues could maybe put the
Debian project at jeopardy (even if it's a bit hard to imagine), but
also because it's extremely important to continue to have successful
DebConfs.
Of course, a functioning team could avoid most issues, but I think that
we want to keep the possibility to have bids led by people who have
relatively little DebConf or even Debian experience. By providing a safety
net, chairs are a compromise that make it easier, less risky, to have
such inexperienced (and more likely to be malfunctioning) bid teams.
Lucas
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