Re: sipp: Can this package be removed?

[John Galt <galt@inconnu.isu.edu>]

On Sat, 17 Feb 2001, Roland Bauerschmidt wrote:

>Adrian Bunk wrote:
>> I have the opposite opinion: I don't know if some people use it, and
>> that's a reason why I prefer keeping it over removing it (as long as
>> there's not a good reason why to remove it).
>
>If a package is removed from the FTP archive, it will of course not be
>removed from the machines of users using it. I think a package that no

I really don't like this line of thought.  If it's removed from Debian by
allowing the excuse that it doesn't actually impact the users because they
still have the binaries from the time of removal, there are some ugly
consequences that entail.  Firstly, it DOES impact the users: they get
used to foo and it makes the learning curve that much harder for bar.
Secondly, it violates the POLS for re-installation: think of the guy who
has a floppy with his optimal selection set and replicates it over as many
computers as he installs Debian to.  SURPRISE!  One day his package disk
doesn't work: one or two of his selections got removed from Debian.  I've
always been bothered by using an argument of "it won't hurt THAT much":
it'll either be completely painless or it'll hurt.  If it hurts, it'll
hurt like HELL: when you get a trivial injury, have you ever thought to
yourself "this doesn't hurt THAT much"?


>developer using it wants to maintain should be removed.

You're right here, but for the wrong reasons.  Basically, I see it as a
pressure tactic: if you don't like the way things are, change them.  If
you need/want a package, either find somebody to maintain it or maintain
it yourself.  The really important packages won't stay dead long, and the
trivial ones had their chance.  Voila!  you now have someone that wouldn't
have thought of being a DD learning enough to maintain a package and going
into the NM queue.  Any solution that involves someone learning new skills
can't be all bad...


>Roland
>
>

-- 
EMACS == Eight Megabytes And Constantly Swapping

Who is John Galt?  galt@inconnu.isu.edu, that's who!