Re: Formal declaration of weak package ownership in source packages (was: Replace the TC power to depose maintainers)
On December 11, 2016 8:50:19 PM EST, Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
>Scott Kitterman writes ("Re: Formal declaration of weak package
>ownership in source packages (was: Replace the TC power to depose
>maintainers)"):
>> These changes will require, at the very least, policy changes. We
>> have a process for that.
>>
>> Unless this thing is somehow opt-in only, be prepared for a GR
>overriding it.
>
>It might be best to do it via a GR anyway.
>
>> P. S. In case you wonder how maintainerless works, go look at the
>dusty corners of the Ubuntu archive.
>
>I'm not in favour of abolishing amintainership.
>
>You don't explicitly say so but I get the impression from your mail
>that you think what I am suggesting is a bad idea. I've read your
>other messages in this thread and they have significantly influenced
>my thinking. So perhaps I have misunderstood you.
You may not think you are, but I believe that is the net effect.
If anyone can unilaterally add themselves as maintainer (to pick one proposal as an example) and make intrusive package changes (since they are a maintainer), there's really no maintainer at all.
Being maintainer means having responsibility for a package. If anyone can add themselves as maintainer, then you've turned being maintainer into a position with responsibility, but no authority. That's a recipe for disaster.
I confess to a difficulty keeping all the threads straight, so this might not be one of your proposals at all.
I do sense a general trend of the conversation towards the idea of undermining package maintainership. Push to hard in that direction and you get revert wars and even larger chunks of the archive left to rot.
I think there are plenty of DDs who would find having their ability to control their packages taken away demotivating. I don't see a crowd of new contributors just waiting to not have to deal with a maintainer to get involved in Debian development.
Running off or demotivating the people we have isn't a great way to make a better operating system.
Scott K
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