Re: [gnu.misc.discuss,gnu.emacs.gnus] Free software: Packagers vs Developers
On 02-Jul-99, 05:45 (CDT), Per Abrahamsen <abraham@dina.kvl.dk> wrote:
>
> Neither do I. I have no idea what to do with a bug report or patch
> comming from a middleman, who neither have the same direct experience
> of the problem as the user, nor the same knowledge of the code as the
> developer. Of course, I could try to contact the user directly, hope
> that he is willing to explain everything again, figure out what code
> he has received from Debian, try to figure out if the problem is due
> to my code or the Debian mangling, and then start from there.
> Instead, I just curse Debian for sabotaging my work, and delete the
> mail.
>
> [...big snip...]
>
> You add value, but at the wrong place. You add it in the middle, thus
> only reaching a branch of the tree, instead of the top, where you
> would reach the entire tree. And by adding the value in the middle,
> you make it less likely that the value will reach the top. The users
> in your branch won't see the need.
Am I the only one who sees the irony in these two paragraphs? You won't
even look at the enhancement/bug-fix/whatever ("value") coming from
the Debian package maintainer, but then bitch about Debian package
maintainers not adding value to the "top of the tree".
Not to mention the likely fact that the package maintainer started with
an incoherent bug report from the sacred user, obtained more useful
information and determined the real problem, developed a solution, and
is now offering you *a* complete solution. Admittedly, it might not be
the *best* solution, but you are free to determine that, and choose to
incorporate or not. But it sure seems to me to be a hell of a lot better
than starting from scratch.
(hhmmm. I assuming that the patch arrives with a discussion of why and
what, not just a diff. Just the diff is pretty useless, I agree.)
Steve
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