On Tue, Sep 10, 2002 at 08:57:48AM +1000, Matthew Palmer wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Sep 2002, Michael Cardenas wrote:
>
> > I think we should have a process whereby if a package does not get a
> > maintainer in a certain amount of time, we remove it from the archive,
> > and list them in the wnpp report as "sehcduled for removal on DATE".
> >
> > That way, if anyone actually does use these packages, they will have
> > some incentive to maintain them. If not, they can be removed.
>
> Maintenance is only required when there is something wrong with the package.
> If the orphaned packages in question still work fine, then I don't see why
> they should be removed. OK, so there isn't a DD who cares enough to take
> them, but that doesn't mean there aren't a lot of Ordinary Users out there
> who like and use the package.
>
> The package will get removed from the stable tree at the first release where
> there is an RC bug against it. Not a perfect solution, but Debian isn't
> just for DDs and the other denizens of d-devel, and there are a very large
But if there's no maintainer, who's getting the bug reports? qa? And
who's going to fix them? If we wait for rc bugs to cause the removal
of a package, then we will have to look at these old packages for a
year or two.
My main reasons for suggesting this were:
1. to save archive space, and thus all the associated costs in money
and time.
2. to have more useful wnpp reports that aren't filled with lots of
useless stuff, so that more people will read them
3. if a program has been orphaned for 2 or 3 years, I'd be willing to
bet that there are few or no users. If the package gets removed, we
will at least hear complaints from users and maybe someone will then
be willing to come forward and maintain the packages.
When looking at the wnpp for a package to maintain, and seeing that
something has been orphaned for 3 years, my only assumption is that
noone is using this program, so why would I want to maintain it? If
the wnpp list said it was orphaned for a year and was about to be
removed from the archive, and I wanted it to stay in, then I would
volunteer to maintain it.
I wasn't suggesting that we should force users to be maintainers,
rather that we shouldn't keep packages around that noone is using.
--
michael cardenas | lead software engineer | lindows.com | hyperpoem.net
"The morning after the storm;
The melons alone
Know nothing of it."
- Sodo
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