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Re: Future of X packages in Debian



On Wed, Jun 30, 2004 at 11:44:26PM +0200, Jonas Meurer wrote:
> On 30/06/2004 Branden Robinson wrote:
> > > Are you comfortable with an Uploaders: field for fd.o xlibs that
> > > includes myself?
> > 
> > I'm not sure *my* comfort level is the first-order term in this equation.
> > 
> > Quoting:
> > 
> >     [...]
> > 
> >     Daniel, disillusioned and disappoitned ex-'X Strike Force' member[1]
> 
> is it required to be 'x strike force' member for uploading xlibs?

One normally doesn't hijack a package (or several of them) away from the
current maintainer.

Quoting section 5.9.5 of the Debian Developers' Reference:

  It is not OK to simply take over a package that you feel is neglected — that
  would be package hijacking. You can, of course, contact the current
  maintainer and ask them if you may take over the package. If you have reason
  to believe a maintainer has gone AWOL (absent without leave), see Dealing
  with inactive and/or unreachable maintainers, Section 7.4.

  Generally, you may not take over the package without the assent of the
  current maintainer. Even if they ignore you, that is still not grounds to
  take over a package. Complaints about maintainers should be brought up on the
  developers' mailing list. If the discussion doesn't end with a positive
  conclusion, and the issue is of a technical nature, consider bringing it to
  the attention of the technical committee (see the technical committee web
  page for more information).[1]

The above does not apply, of course, to any parts of fd.o xlibs that aren't
already in Deebian.

The above *does* apply even if a given upstream package changes its
upstream source.  When the Xpm library was incorporated into XFree86
upstream, I expressed my interest in maintaining its packages as part of
XFree86 to the then-current maintainer.  AFAIR, he had no objection.

If Mr. Stone feels there are exigent circumstances at work here, he should
say so.

[1] http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-pkgs.en.html#s-adopting

-- 
G. Branden Robinson                |        Beware of and eschew pompous
Debian GNU/Linux                   |        prolixity.
branden@debian.org                 |        -- Charles A. Beardsley
http://people.debian.org/~branden/ |

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