Re: Work-needing packages report for Jul 11, 2003

[Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Jamin W. Collins wrote:
>On Sun, Jul 20, 2003 at 10:19:20PM +0300, Kalle Kivimaa wrote:
>> Please remember that all Debian positions are _volunteer_ jobs. 
>
>If the DAM provided this level of attention to most any other
>_volunteer_ job, I suspect he would be politely thanked for his
>contribution and replaced by someone more able to perform the task.
>Leaving applicants in limbo with no update for years at a time is
>uncalled for and derelict.

Someone who enters Debian is in a position to upload a package that
could backdoor a very large number of machines. Attention to detail at
the DAM stage is *more* important than pretty much any other decision
making process in Debian. If the DAM fucks up even once, we lose
massively.

>> The role of the DAM (among others) is very critical to the well-being
>> of the Debian Project as a whole. 
>
>And as such should be staffed by a responsive individual with the time
>to peform the task.  The current DAM is neither.

Is anyone appropriate for the task currently volunteering to do so?

We occasionally bitch about the length of time it takes the security
team to produce an update for certain things, but it seems to be
generally understood that it's taking that long because that's how long
it takes. Without potentially compromising the entire project, I'm
unconvinced that the DAM process could be made significantly faster.

-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59-chiark.mail.debian.devel@srcf.ucam.org