Upstream guide and front desk
I gave a talk[0] at Debconf10 about my experiences switching from
being a Debian developer to being an upstream developer.
As part of that talk I suggested two things:
* a guide or checklist for upstreams so they know how do things so their
software is easier for distributions to package
* a contact point within Debian for upstreams to use
For the first thing, I have started a wiki page[1], and seeded it with
points from my talk. I hereby declare it to be the ultimate truth,
absolutely correct, and forever final. (That should be challenge enough
to get people to update it with new ideas, and fixes.)
For the second thing, I propose an "upstream front desk" of some sort.
Stefano, in his role as the DPL, agreed that it would be good. The UFD
would be the point of first contact for new upstreams, and would guide
them to the right people in Debian to help them with the packaging of
the upstream software. They could also help upstreams later, if there
are problems in their relationship with Debian, e.g., the volunteer Debian
package maintainer goes missing.
I am not sure what the best way to implement the UFD would be. Perhaps
a mailing list (debian-upstream?) with a few volunteers would be a good
start? If this gets created, I'll join. Anyone else like to help with
that?
[0] http://liw.fi/swimming-upstream/
[1] http://wiki.debian.org/UpstreamGuide
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