Re: bastardizing packages or stepping down

[Sam Hartman <hartmans@debian.org>]

>>>>> "Adam" == Adam D Barratt <adam@adam-barratt.org.uk> writes:

    Adam> Hi, Making no comment on the remainder of the mail:

    Adam> On 2015-03-05 10:38, Michael Tokarev wrote:
    >> And since I can't do my work, I'm stepping down from being
    >> busybox maintainer, and am kindly asking the release team to
    >> remove my name from debian/control file in busybox, so that
    >> people don't blame me for things I can't do.

    Adam> I don't believe it would be appropriate for us to do so. We
    Adam> have no control or say in who maintains packages (beyond that
    Adam> available to any other DD or interested contributor).


michael, I'd like to ask if I'm hearing you correctly.  So, what I'm
hearing is very strong frustration.  You had hoped that you would have
the power to produce a package that you'd be happy being responsible
for.  However you don't believe  that you have that power; you're saying
that changes you consider essential  to creating a busybox you're
comfortable being responsible for are rejected.  Am I hearing you
correctly?

Adam, let's assume for the moment I've got that right.  I'm trying to
connect with the frustration I'd feel if I were told that I didn't even
have the power to distance myself from something I couldn't in good
conscious claim to support.
I hope that there's some way that michael can approach stepping away
from the package in jessie if he wants to.
If what you're saying is that his proposed mechanism for doing that is
the wrong one, would you be willing to help him out and suggest a
mechanism you believe to be more appropriate?  (Perhaps you'd approve an
ublock for an upload that simply changed maintainer to debian-qa?)

If what you're saying is that you see no mechanism for him to step away
from a package he no longer feels he can maintain because he and the
release team disagree with the desired contents of that package in
Jessie, then I respectfully ask you to reconsider that position.  That
sort of thing would likely drive me away from the entire project, not
just one package.

Micahel, one final question to you.
Are you firmly committed to the path of stepping away from busybox
maintenance, or would you be willing to re-evaluate that decision after
we see what comes of your request for understanding?

thanks for your consideration,

--Sam