Hi, On Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:48:22 +0200 Arno Töll <arno@debian.org> wrote: > Salvaging a package > ================= > > Salvaging is the process by which, one attempts to save a package from a > state where it is poorly maintained or appears not maintained at all, > without being officially orphaned. This is a weaker and faster procedure > than orphaning a package officially through powers of the MIA team [4]. > Salvaging a package is not meant to replace MIA handling, and in > contrast to it, it does not comment about the overall activity of a > maintainer. Instead, it handles a package maintainer transition for a > single package only, leaving any other package or Debian membership or > upload rights (when applicable) untouched. However, during the salvage > process, the MIA team will be informed (see below). This might be > considered by them as a kick-off to start the MIA procedure as well. > That's a desired side effect when found beneficial by MIA team members. > > > Reasons to salvage a package > ---------------------------------------- > The package is in clear need of some love and care, i.e. there are open > bugs, missing upstream releases, or there is work needed from a > quality-assurance perspective; AND there is the need to upload the > package to deal with these issues; AND at least one of these criterias > applies: > > * There is no visible activity regarding the package [5] for /six months/. > > * There is no visible activity regarding the package [5], and the > maintainer of the package in question is tracked in the MIA database > already, and there was no recorded activity in the MIA tracker for > /three months/. > > * A previous NMU was not acknowledged, and at least another issue > justifying another NMU is pending for /one month/ [5]. > > * The last upload was an NMU and there was no maintainer upload within > /one year/. > > * The package blocks a sourceful transition or the implementation of a > release goal for /six months/ after a transition or release goal bug was > filed against the package in question. > > > Procedure to salvage a package > ----------------------------------------- > If any of the criteria denoted above are fulfilled, anyone interested > can start the salvage procedure. For Debian Developers, it should be > checked whether they are on vacation. > > 1) A bug with severity "serious" against the package in question must be > filed, expressing the intent to take over maintainership of the package. > The reporter may also offer co-maintenance of the package. > > 2) The maintainer, or any current uploader of the package in question > may object publicly in response to the bug filed within 14 days. Of > course, current maintainers may also agree to the intent to salvage a > package by filing a (signed) public response to the bug. In such a case, > a new package can be uploaded immediately thereafter by the new > maintainer(s). > > 3) After waiting at least the required 14 days, another warning must be > sent to the bug report, this time also the MIA team shall be informed > and all maintainers or uploaders of the package shall be contacted > explicitly as well. If the above criteria only apply to one package but the rest of maintainer's packages is being maintained, informing the MIA team should be bypassed: maintainer is just neglecting a single package but not MIA. And in fact there's little the MIA team can do with those maintainers, so this procedure could be a nicer alternative. Otherwise the MIA team should be Cc-ed first, when reporting the bug: the maintainer may be very likely MIA, I don't see a reason to wait more. And if MIA team achieves a response quicker, the salvage procedure bug can be fixed faster. regards, P.S.: please keep Cc to debian-qa, I'm not subscribed to debian-devel. -- Ricardo Mones, on behalf of Debian QA/MIA team http://people.debian.org/~mones «Tomorrow will be cancelled due to lack of interest.»
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