Re: packages missing from sarge

[Adrian Bunk <bunk@stusta.de>]

On Tue, May 10, 2005 at 10:42:43PM +0200, Andreas Tille wrote:
> On Tue, 10 May 2005, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> 
> Speaking as somebody who is quite unrelated to release issues (except
> that I keep my packages bug free) I have some questions:
> 
> >were at the correct severity and tagged correctly, your release
> >management is based on an assumption that isn't true.
> Interesting statement but what is your suggestion to improve this?
> 
> >And since you say the package maintainers were responsible for correct
> >bug severities:
> >
> >How often does a quick NMU that gives a fast improvement in the RC
> >bugs metric hide the real problem that the maintainer is completely or
> >partially MIA?
> Actually what is your opinion how to improve the QA process?

It might sound strange, but I'd suggest to completely disallow NMUs 
without maintainer permission.

This would make it take longer until RC bugs are fixed, but it would 
help on speeding up the finding of maintainers who are for any reason 
not able to properly maintain their packages.

> >BTW: In case anyone of the release team takes the announced 30 May 2005
> >    release date (that already got some media coverage) seriously, I'd
> >    be glad to bet some some Euros against it...
> What is the lesson whe should learn from this?

I might be wrong and the release team really thinks this is a date they 
will reach.

But otherwise, the problem seems to be that in any other area I know the 
quality of release management is in a big part measured in how it 
manages to reach the goals.

Debian release management has the big advantage to setting their own 
goals.

But the last date (September 2004) set by the current release management 
failed because security support for sarge that was assumed to be ready 
six days after the announcement took more than six months.

I asked:

  Can you tell about the possible risks that may affect your release 
  plan and what you have done to ensure that they will not delay your 
  release plan?

but noone of the release team did bother to answer.

> Just curious
> 
>            Andreas.

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed