Bug#509732: Kalle's message #68
On Sat, 27 Dec 2008, José Luis González wrote:
> On Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:11:03 -0800
> Don Armstrong <don@debian.org> wrote:
> > It should be filed against debian-policy with the appropriate
> > severity.
>
> What is the appropriate severity?
Depends on the bug. I can't think of a non-packaging mistake in
debian-policy that would by itself be a RC bug, but I suppose such a
pathological case could be invented.
> > That assumes that the people reading the list won't file the
> > appropriate bug on the appropriate package. I never known that not
> > to be the case.
>
> Can another developer file a serious bug on the debian-policy
> package if the mantainer doesn't?
Of course.
> According to bug-maint-info.txt a severe bug can be filed when it
> violates the Policy or the *mantainer* considers the *package*
> unsuitable for release.
Anyone can file an RC bug. This sentence is talking about the fact
that a maintainer can decide that a package is unsuitable for release
in addition to all of the other things that can make a package
unsuitable for release. I should note too that the canonical location
for this documentation is http://bugs.debian.org, *not* doc-debian.
[doc-debian is a convenience copy.]
> > and if a package isn't watched by people who know, then the bug
> > probably isn't going to seriously affect the release anyway.
>
> This goes against the social contract:
[snip SC §4]
> If it is watched by a user he can't file a RC bug.
Users *can* and *do* file RC bugs.[1] My point was that if a bug was
filed at the wrong severity, and no one noticed, then presumably the
package isn't popular enough for enough people to care about it to set
the severities appropriately.
Here, the fundamental problem appears to be a misunderstanding of who
can alter severities (anyone) versus who makes the final decision as
to what the severities shall be (maintainers + RMs).
Don Armstrong
1: As an aside, any time one might think that SC §4 is being violated,
before trotting it out on the list, think long and hard about whether
it actually is being violated. Odds are it's not.
--
"People selling drug paraphernalia ... are as much a part of drug
trafficking as silencers are a part of criminal homicide."
-- John Brown, DEA Chief
http://www.donarmstrong.com http://rzlab.ucr.edu
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