Maintainer information in source packages (was: Re: Returning to the requirement that Uploaders: contain humans)

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Ansgar Burchardt writes ("Maintainer information in source packages (was: Re: Returning to the requirement that Uploaders: contain humans)"):
> as a more radical change one could also ask the question where to
> maintain the maintainer information.  Currently we handle this in the
> source package via the Maintainer and Uploaders field, and via team
> memberships.

Yes.

> This has several limitations: for teams, Uploaders will often be
> useless (you don't want to list all team members in every team-
> maintained package).  The Maintainer field only really applies to
> Debian, in derivatives someone else should be contacted.  In stable
> releases, the field can often be outdated (it records who maintained
> the package some time ago, not who currently maintains it).

Indeed.

> So I have been wondering several times whether we should move the
> maintainer information elsewhere.  For example, tracker.d.o could be
> extended to record maintainer information.  It could also understand
> the concept of "teams" listing team members and whom to send mails
> about individual packages.

Yes.

I think this would all be brilliant.

Ian.