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Re: task & skills



> Just my two cents for the "hot" discussion about tasks and skills. I am ready 
> for blaming from everybody.
> 
> In my opinion *every* applicant before he/she become a maintaner should have 
> at least *one* sponsored package in the distribution (adopted or new).
> 
> The whole NM process looks more like a theoretical exam than practical. It 
> doesn't matter how excellent an applicant may describe in his/her own words a 
> difference between free beer and free software or how many signatures from 
> Debian maintaners he/she has until he/she hasn't more than a fundamental 
> knowledge about Debian packaging. 
> 
> Of course, it may cause the NM process will take more time for some 
> applicants but it doesn't matter until we care about a *quality* also and we 
> care not only about a *quantity*. If some applicants want to join Debian for 
> doing other job than packaging then it doesn't matter if they have accounts 
> or haven't (at least until they try to upload something some day).
> 
> That's obviously the AM and the sponsor should be different persons if we 
> care also about more objective (and more democratic) NM process. Looking for 
> sponsors is not so difficult until an applicant has enough motivations and 
> patience for doing Debian work. Both these "features" are also very useful in 
> this case.

I am applying to become a Debian maintainer.  At the moment, I am not
interested in packaging anything.  Period.  I do not have the time and
would rather exert myself elsewhere.  Thus, should I not be made a Debian
maintainer?  Will you recommend my rejection?

There is a lot more about debian then making packages.  There is
documentation, internationalization and debian internal projects such as
dpkg, apt, the installer, boot floppies and others.  These take more than
a single person to code up and a list ends up as the maintainer of the
resulting packages.

How about the maintenance of the servers, is that not a worthy job?  Or
perhaps PR?  The webpage?

And finally, how about the ports?  Are the Debian/BSD port or the
Debian/Hurd port not in need of Debian people?

The thing that bothers me the _most_ is that all of the tasks that I
have listed take _way_ more effort than maintaining some package of
the packages in our archive:  many are updated a few times a year, if
that.

> Thanks,

Thank you.  If you are still interested in recommending my rejection,
I encourage you to do.

-Neal

-- 
Neal H Walfield
University of Massachusetts at Lowell
neal@walfield.org or neal@cs.uml.edu



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