Bug#593533: debian-policy: Proposal to stop requesting to list initial Debian maintainers in debian/copyright

["Giacomo A. Catenazzi" <cate@debian.org>]

On 19.08.2010 04:10, Russ Allbery wrote:
> Charles Plessy<plessy@debian.org>  writes:
>
> > Information about the initial Debian maintainers partially overlaps the
> > information in debian/changelog, and the copyright statements for the
> > packaging work.
>
> Under normal circumstances, it always duplicates information in
> debian/changelog (there are some edge cases where it doesn't, but I think
> they're rare).
>
> > diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
> > index 9037de8..e924b5a 100644
> > --- a/policy.sgml
> > +++ b/policy.sgml
> > @@ -9554,9 +9554,8 @@ END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
> >
> >   	<p>
> >   	In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream
> > -	  sources (if any) were obtained.  It should name the original
> > -	  authors of the package and the Debian maintainer(s) who were
> > -	  involved with its creation.
> > +	  sources (if any) were obtained, and should name the original
> > +	  authors.
> >   	</p>
> >
> >   	<p>
>
> Seconded.

No, I think it is wrong!

The debian/copyright also include packaging copyright. I think the part
involved in this proposal is for such reasons.
So IMHO we must still require the names of packagers (and the specific
license).

I think that the debian/changelog don't give enough informations about
packagers (e.g. if they are more than one).

Also the initial debian packager should ask upstream for authorisation
to pack the original software, and such information is important for
legal reasons, thus we must know who where the initial debian packager.

ciao
	cate