Re: Re:%20Re: Debian Maintainers GR Proposal

[Benjamin BAYART <bayartb@edgard.fdn.fr>]

Le Sun, Jun 24, 2007 at 09:50:37PM -0700, Thomas Bushnell BSG:
> 
> > Yes. So, the right solution if I want to help is:
> > - first I spend a lot of time proving that I'm skilled enough to read
> >   crazy licenses in a language that is not mine
> 
> No, you only have to do this if you want to package software and upload
> it into the archive without review.

If you read back to the DM proposal, it is clearly stated that a DM is
not allowed to upload a NEW package. So, the approach is not wanting to
package&upload anything but a given package.

For that, the tricky questions are examined by the DD who decide, or
not, to allow a DM to maintain it.

> > - then I spend another lot of time proving I'm skilled enough to package
> >   complex stuff unrelated to my current skills (say python stuff, which
> >   I know nothing about, or trying to have a library not breaking
> >   everything in an upgrade)
> 
> No, you only have to do this if you want to package software and upload
> it into the archive without review.

Once more, it is the difference between a DD and a DM: a DD is supposed
to be skilled enough to package/upload any kind of software (at least in
theory), a DM is supposed to be skilled enough to package/upload the
software that a DD sponsored him on.

So, yes, a DM is a kind of a subclass of a DD, at least as I understood
it. I did understand that:
- anyone may ask a DD to sponsor an upload on a precise version of a
  precise package;
- a DM may ask a DD to sponsor him to gain the maintainance of a precise
  package, here the DD takes care of checking the initial packaging, the
  licenses, and so on;
- a DD ask no sponsor for nothing, he is supposed to be skilled enough
  to do what is required for the well of Debian.

For me, that sounds reasonable, and that would help Debian for few-used
package. That is of course almost useless for large scale packages or
projects, but can be of great interest for isolated packages.

One can assume that a DM is a good willing guy, and that if there is
a large scale change in his package, he will probably ask for help from
his sponsor (or from somebody, at least), and that if he does'nt he
should be dropped his DM status. Which is what is stated in the original
proposal.

Regards,

	Benjamin.