Re: RFC: Using git/collab-maint/PET for debian-mentors.

[Ansgar Burchardt <ansgar@43-1.org>]

Hi,

Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au> writes:

> Paul Wise <pabs@debian.org> writes:
>
>> As said on IRC, "cue anti-git flamage". In debian we use a multitude
>> of version control systems and we shouldn't impose choice of a
>> specific VCS nor force people to use a VCS. I personally maintain
>> packages in git, in SVN and in no VCS and prefer either no VCS or SVN
>> for teams.
>
> +1. There's no need to impose any particular VCS onto maintainers, even
> by default. It falls into the domain of allowing the maintainer to make
> their own decisions concerning their own work.

I started working on a version of PET that supports several VCS
backends, even for a single instance: all packages show up on a single
package no matter in which of the known VCS they live in.
For now it supports Git and SVN as I use those myself.

It still needs some work, but is slowly getting usable.

>> > ,A (B ,A (B ,A (B* Optionally co-ordinating on IRC in #debian-mentors, as well as
>> > ,A (B ,A (B ,A (B ,A (Bvia notes at the top of debian/changelog.
>>
>> I imagine this happens already?
>
> I'm not sure what $B!H(Bcoordinating via notes at the top of
> debian/changelog$B!I(B means. Bear in mind that the changelog is primarily
> for communicating package changes *to users* of those packages.

The Perl Group makes use of this: in the unreleased version of packages,
we add notes to d/changelog telling what must still be done for the next
upload, weather the package needs to wait for other binaries to be
uploaded first, or when a upstream release does not need to be uploaded
as there are no changes relevant for Debian.

PET also supports this: IGNORE-VERSION: will tell PET that this version
does not need to be uploaded, WAITS-FOR: [package] [version] tells PET
to only show the packages in a "waits for other packages" until the
listed packages have been uploaded to the archive.

All of these notes are removed before the upload so they do not show up
in the released packages.

I think this is a very good method to communicate with other team
members about the current state of packages.

Regards,
Ansgar