Re: Packages still using /usr/doc in unstable
On Tue, 27 Mar 2001, Julian Gilbey wrote:
> On Tue, Mar 27, 2001 at 07:47:21AM -0500, Dale Scheetz wrote:
> > Keeping the maintainer in the dark is pointless. Suggesting that a bug
> > report from the NMUer is the right thing to do would be ok except that
> > none of the NMUs made against my packages in the past ever submitted such
> > a report.
> >
> > What's so difficult about droping the maintianer an e-mail?
>
> I reckon that if nothing else, dinstall (katie) should send a copy of
> the installation message to the maintainer in the case of a *source*
> NMU, with a copy of the .changes file.
By then it is too late, the efforts have already been duplicated.
My point is that bug age does not indicate maintainer appathy. Unless you
check with the maintainer you are apt to duplicate work already in
progress.
>From what I've seen of the results from past BSPs the thrust is to fix all
the obviously easy stuff, ignoring the other bugs. I don't know about
other maintainers, but I release a new package with as many bugs fixed as
possible, so while I may already have fixed the easy bugs, I haven't done
an upload because I still want to fix several other important things as
well. Someone at the BSP fixes a build depends (a whole 20 characters
inserted into the control file) and uploads it. That whole effort was
wasted, as the maintainer already has this patch in his code.
My personal experience was: Asked on -devel months ago about conflicts vs
cohabitation, and got one indifferent reply. So I resolved to do it one
way, implimented that, and went on to worry about other bug reports.
Before I could upload my completed fixes, I got a notice that the
dependency had been fixed. Somebody wasted their valuable time working on
this patch, and a simple communication with the maintainer would have
avoided the duplicated efforts. That person who "fixed" my package could
much better have spent his time doing something else, but was in too much
hurry to contact me to see if I was already working on it.
To make me responsible for finding out what others are doing to my
packages is simply rediculous. All the supposed reports to the BTS etc...
are just another point of failure being created in this process that is
really very simple. Communicate!
These BSPs are planned well in advance, with a pre-decided list of bugs.
Why is it so unreasonable to report intention to fix the bug to the
maintainer of that package. If there is no reply by BSP, then fix it. If
the maintainer says they are working on it, then find another one to fix.
Telling them after the fact is not reasonable.
Luck,
Dwarf
--
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Flexible Software 11000 McCrackin Road
e-mail: dwarf@polaris.net Tallahassee, FL 32308
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