Re: Bug#659047: RFS: rpg - Readable Password Generator
On Sat, Apr 7, 2012 at 9:46 AM, Vladimir Stavrinov <vstavrinov@gmail.com> wrote:
>> ecosystem. Consider for instance that if one day you suddenly can not
>> contribute anymore, somebody else will need to care of the package. Summed
>> together, even removals takes time.
>
> It would be a nice behavior, if maintainer leaving Debian will take
> care about removal his own package after some period of inactivity.
It's not just about that. Every package that goes into the archive
results in a non-trivial increase in the amount of work for some other
teams (the release team, the security team, the FTP masters, possibly
more), not only for the package maintainer.
Also, removing packages isn't always the answer. There are specific
criteria that lead into removals[1], and even then you can't force
maintainers to request removals before they leave Debian. You seem to
have an overly simplified view of how the distribution works.
Now, about the package in question. The alternative software currently
in the repositories is apg, which seems very popular[2]. In order to
get your package sponsored, you'll need to address some concerns.
First, If you're proposing a different algorithm for password
generation, have you looked into contributing the algorithm to apg? If
not, why? Writing software from scratch is very often not the right
solution, so you need to be prepared to explain to prospective
reviewers and sponsors why you took that route. When you are the one
trying to get the package sponsored, saying "give it a shot yourself"
to prospective sponsors doesn't inspire confidence and won't cut it.
Second, wouldn't it be better to let the software mature first, then
consider packaging it? Several people in this thread pointed out
problems with the software, and although you're active trying to
address them (successfully or not), it's clear that there are issues
that need to be ironed out. If the minimal amount of testing done by
prospective sponsors reveals such problems, you might want to take a
step back, make sure people use and report bugs on the software, and
eventually get back to packaging it when it's in better shape.
debian-mentors isn't about developing software. The software must be
in a good shape and well tested before it can be packaged, otherwise
uploading the package doesn't do the distribution any good.
[1]: http://wiki.debian.org/ftpmaster_Removals
[2]: http://qa.debian.org/popcon-graph.php?packages=apg
Regards,
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