Re: Let's close down the QA committee

[Paul Wright <paul@cvanet.com>]

On Tue, 17 Jul 2001 12:02:18 +0200, Martin wrote:

> As some of you may know, there is a "QA committee".  See
> http://qa.debian.org/people.html  It currently consists of:
> 
>      * Raphaël Hertzog
>      * Christian Kurz
>      * Torsten Landschoff
>      * Martin Michlmayr
>      * Josip Rodin
>      * Martin Schulze
>      * Michael Stone
> 
> However, the QA committee doesn't really do anything.  Although there
> are decisions to be made, the QA committee doesn't make them.  And
> quite frankly, I'm glad it doesn't.  For example, there is the
> question whether QA efforts should be put into important packages (the
> base system, for example) or in orphaned packages, or in both.  Of
> course the QA committee could define the direction of Debian's QA
> efforts.  But, this is Debian, and things in Debian get done if people
> do it, not if someone defines our direction.  Also, I'm not sure we
> currently need many levels within QA.
> 
> Basically, I tried to come up with what a QA committee could actually
> do.  And, well, I couldn't find anything.  So I suggest to officially
> close the committee down.  However, perhaps not coming up with good
> ideas was only a lack of my imagination.  If you have any good ideas
> why we need a QA committee, let me know.
> 
> Having said this, I want to add that I think we need people who start
> new QA projects and motivate other people to join (but they don't have
> to be on a different level than others).
> 

I don't think you understand what Debian-QA is actually doing.  If you 
would pay closer attention to the debian-qa list, you would discover that 
QA is responsible for making lists of work that can or need be done on 
packages that have been orphaned.  This is a convenience for Debian 
developers, maintainers, and users who wish to help keep orphaned packages 
in debian, but have their own reasons for not adopting those packages.

I don't understand why someone's first post to a (any) Debian mailing list 
would be to propose the elimination of an essential and useful part of 
the Debian community, unless the poster would rather see much needed work 
go undone.


Pardon me for feeding the trolls, but sometimes I find it difficult to 
resist. They're so darn cute ;)


-- 
  Paul T Wright <paul@cvanet.com>
	
   And, strange to tell, among the Earthen Lot
   Some could articulate, while others not:
      And suddenly one more impatient cried --
   "Who is the Potter, pray, and who the Pot?"
   
            -- The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam --