Bug#484129: release.debian.org: packages in tasks should be fixed in priority and removed in last resort after discussion

[Raphael Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>]

Package: release.debian.org
Severity: wishlist

Following a quick chat with Luk, and following the discussion in #484009
about the removal of update-notifier/update-manager, I want to make the
following suggestions:

- the release team should encourage volunteers to fix in priority RC bugs
  that matters more first. This includes bugs in packages of priority >=
  standard, non-leaf packages and leaf packages which are listed in one or
  more tasks (cf tasksel git repo for the latest version of tasks:
  http://git.debian.org/?p=tasksel/tasksel.git;a=tree;f=tasks;hb=HEAD )

  This could be done by adding a restricted view of
  http://bts.turmzimmer.net/ or
  http://bugs.debian.org/release-critical/

  This can also be done by providing a listing a affected packages in
  the regular news sent to debian-devel-announce.

- the release team should only remove packages listed in tasks after
  having explicitely warned the maintainer concerned. Such mails should
  be CCed to debian-devel so that other volunteers can jump in and take
  over the work of the MIA maintainer (and also give their opinion if
  the package should instead be dropped from the task as it's no more
  suited). A delay of one week would seem reasonable and wouldn't change
  much when those packages are only removed after long periods
  of inactivity in the bug log.

I think it's important that the release team supports the work done on
tasksel (by the d-i team) by not removing unilateraly packages which are
listed in tasks. They have been added there in the first place for a
reason, it would be nice to be able to offer a continued user experience
from release to release and not have significant functionalities
disappear just because we (as Debian, not as release team) have not been
able to recruit volunteers for the corresponding packages.

Thank you for your consideration and for your work!

Cheers,

-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing'), (500, 'stable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: i386 (i686)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.24-1-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core)
Locale: LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_FR.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash