Bug#727708: CTTE and Developer Buy-in [Re: Bug#727708: init system other points, and conclusion]
Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes:
> As the TC, I think we have two options for the process:
> (a) Make a decision based on our assessment of the merits; that
> includes considering the strength and health of the communites
> behind each project. But for me it doesn't include consideration
> of their raw popularity or unpopularity in the Debian ecosystem.
> Expect a GR if our decision is too unpopular.
> (b) Decline to make a decision and propose a GR.
> Colin was casting about for a plausible intermediate approach perhaps
> involving a straw poll. I'm explaining why I think that's not a good
> idea; perhaps even a worse idea than (b).
> I don't think any of the TC are going to propose (b). Perhaps we
> should put (b) on the TC ballot for form's sake; I guess most of the
> TC would vote it above FD.
I had actually been considering proposing (b) be on the ballot based on
Guillem and Anthony's reaction.
If the criteria that we're using to decide between systemd and upstart is
about discomfort with systemd's upstream development practices and their
attempt to create a unified and consistent experience, I think a GR may be
a better way to decide this question. That's not a technical question;
that's a question of overall project direction, a question about whether
we force loose coupling even when our upstreams are preferring tight
coupling. And if we are going to drop some core flexibility inside Debian
to get tighter integration and (at least IMO) technically superior
solutions. It's also to some extent a question about how much portability
should drive our core software adoption, which again is more of a
wide-ranging question about project direction than it is a purely
technical decision.
That's starting to sound much more like the sort of decision that should
be decided by GR rather than by a small group of people. And as
previously mentioned, we have the advantage of being able to go into the
GR with a large set of well-researched data that we didn't have before.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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