Re: Question for candidate Towns [Was, Re: DPL election IRC Debate - Call for questions]
Anthony Towns <aj@azure.humbug.org.au> wrote:
> As a concrete example, I don't think
>
> http://ftp-master.debian.org/new.html
>
> resolves the complaints about NEW and hence I don't think that the NEW
> issue is an example of a communication problem at all.
http://ftp-master.debian.org/new.html failing to resolve the complaints
about NEW doesn't demonstrate that it's not a communication problem.
Complaints about NEW can roughly be split into three catagories:
1) It takes too long
This isn't a communication problem. It would be nice if it went faster,
but it's up to the ftp-masters to decide whether that's possible or not.
2) It isn't happening
This is (at least partly) a communication problem. When NEW processing
appeared to stall recently, most of the complaints I heard weren't that
it had stopped, but that nobody knew /why/ it had stopped.
3) My package has been sitting in the queue for ages and other packages
have been processed
This is a communication problem. I'm aware that packages will tend to
get left for later if they're awkward, but this sometimes ends up with
packages sitting in the queue for months. Passing on some information as
to /why/ it's being delayed would make it easier for the maintainer to
either clarify the issues or upload a new package that doesn't have
them. Of course, this would take time and resources, so it's not clear
how practical it is to do.
So I think saying "The NEW issue has nothing to do with communication"
is difficult unless you clarify what "The NEW issue" is. Communication
isn't about providing information - it's about providing the information
that people need.
--
Matthew Garrett | mjg59-chiark.mail.debian.vote@srcf.ucam.org
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