Re: external maintainers

[Florent Monnier <fmonnier@linux-nantes.fr.eu.org>]

> Provided that you can test the package.
>
> Packaging is not only about preparing the package, but also maintaining it.
> You can be a maintainer without using the distro, but if you do not use it
> and don't follow its developpements, it quickly turns into a poorest
> situation, where your package is broken and leads to a bad reputation for
> the software that it provides.

on the mandriva test machines where one can log through ssh, one can first 
test the packaging script, if it works send it, then it is build on the 
machine that really does the package which will be made available to users, 
if it works, 20 minutes after submiting you can install it on the test 
machine where you are on ssh, and test if the package is really useable.
OK there is no X through ssh, but most ocaml things are libraries.

So you shouldn't fear about bad packages with a motivated packager which does 
everything to really test the package if you provide him a way to test it.
In the opposite way, you have no garanty that a packager which uses debian 
will really do the required testing.

So I guess the answer is "no, the equivalent is not possible with Debian"

> Ususally, packaging follows naturally the need for a given software, and I
> feel natural that it is not done by its author if he does not use the
> distro himself.

What I would personaly feel as natural, is that we could provide the 
possibility for an author to make his soft available for the most used linux 
distros if he is willing to do so.
But I understand if you think it's a bad idea.