On Wed, Jan 11, 2006 at 05:48:22PM -0200, Gustavo Franco wrote:
> On 1/11/06, Daniel Ruoso <daniel@ruoso.com> wrote:
> > Em Qua, 2006-01-11 às 16:48 +0100, martin f krafft escreveu:
> > > What would you like to see?
> > I think submitting bugs and patches to the BTS would already be enough.
> It was already discussed[0], and there's no consensus on this idea of
> "every Ubuntu changeset, a patch in Debian BTS" between DDs. I don't
> remember Linspire, Progeny, ... employees doing the same thing so it
> makes no sense rant against Canonical only. There's scott's patches
> list[1] that sucks IMHO, and utnubu one[2]. AFAIK, some PTS work was
> already done too so we (probably) are listing if there's a ubuntu
> patch in every Debian package from qa.d.o. After all, do you still
> want annoying automatic bug reports?
> We've a lot more volunteers than Canonical, if you want to change the
> scenario (and i'm not writing to Daniel only) you should join
> utnubu[3] and help,
Of course people can do this, but this is so very much not the point. The
point is that publishing source packages on a website that people have to
poll is not "giving back to Debian", and AFAICT the majority of changes
Ubuntu makes to packages are only made available to Debian in this format.
This includes many changes in Ubuntu's universe section[1] which I think it's
bad strategy to be making externally to Debian in the first place if
they're serious about limiting divergence from Debian.
I've also seen Canonical employees make comments in the past to the effect
that Debian has an obligation to meet Ubuntu part-way (read: monitor
Ubuntu's changes) on the question of integrating their changes back into
sid. This is either a wholly unrealistic assessment of the scalability
issues with coordinating between the many CDDs and Debian derivatives in
existence, or simply hubris regarding Ubuntu's privileged position within
the Debian cosmos; but in either case, it does not support the thesis that
Canonical systematically "gives back to Debian" or that they have
succeeded in structuring Ubuntu's culture in a way that promotes such giving
back.
All of which is fine, and the right of anyone working off of Debian (hurray
Free Software!), up until the point where one starts claiming to be giving
back to Debian when by and large they are not; and I'm afraid this does seem
to be the case with Ubuntu today.
--
Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world.
vorlon@debian.org http://www.debian.org/
[1] which, it should be said, is primarily the responsibility of the Ubuntu
MOTUs and not the work of Canonical employees
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