Okay, here's a new draft with the following changes:
- incorporate committers by name rather than by relevant
qualifications
- split committers into expected active committers and reserve
committers
- mention tools expected to be used, but don't require them even
initially
- add DM-Upload-Allowed: field to prevent existing sponsored
contributors mentioned in Maintainer/Uploaders: fields from being
automatically authorised to upload those packages should they
become a non-DD maintainer under this process
- various grammar/language improvements
For those who haven't followed the thread prior to this post, it might
be worth also reading the sample use cases in the sub-thread beginning:
Message-ID: <20070625184520.GC17841@azure.humbug.org.au>
http://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2007/06/msg00165.html
Note that those are possible uses, and the detailed policies for them
would presumably continue to be developed rather than being fixed now.
==== Debian Maintainers Proposal ====
The Debian Project endorses the concept of "Debian Maintainers" with
limited access, and resolves that:
1) A new keyring will be created, called the "Debian maintainers keyring".
It will be initially maintained by:
* Anthony Towns (proposer, ftpmaster, jetring developer)
* Joey Hess (jetring developer)
Commit access will also be provided to others in Debian with similar
roles to ensure that any problems relating to this keyring can be
dealt with by multiple people. These people will initially be:
* Brian Nelson (n-m frontdesk)
* Christoph Berg (n-m frontdesk, jetring developer)
* James Troup (DAM, ftpmaster, keyring-maint)
* Joerg Jaspert (DAM)
* Marc Brockschmidt (n-m frontdesk)
* Michael Beattie (keyring-maint)
* Ryan Murray (ftpmaster)
The keyring will be handled using suitable technology to ensure it
can be maintained by a team. It is expected it will initially be
maintained in alioth subversion using the jetring tool, and that the
keyring will be packaged for Debian and regularly uploaded to unstable.
The team will be known as the Debian Maintainer Keyring team. Changes
to the team may be made by the DPL under the normal rules for
delegations.
2) The initial policy for an individual to be included in the keyring
will be:
* that the applicant acknowledges Debian's social contract,
free software guidelines, and machine usage policies.
* that the applicant provides a valid gpg key, signed by a
Debian developer (and preferably connected to the web of
trust by multiple paths).
* that at least one Debian developer (preferably more) is willing
to advocate the applicant's inclusion, in particular that the
applicant is technically competent and good to work with.
All additions to the keyring will be publicly announced to the
debian-project list.
3) The initial policy is that removals from the keyring will occur under
any of the following circumstances:
* the individual has become a Debian developer
* the individual has not annually reconfirmed their interest
* multiple Debian developers have requested the individual's
removal for good reason, such as problematic uploads, unfixed
bugs, or being unreasonably difficult to work with.
* the Debian Account Managers have requested the removal
4) The initial policy for Debian developers who wish to advocate
a potential Debian maintainer will be:
* Developers should take care whom they choose to advocate,
particularly if they have not successfully participated as an
Application Manager, or in other mentoring roles. Advocacy should
only come after seeing the individual working effectively within
Debian, both technically and socially.
* Advocacy messages should be posted to debian-newmaint or
other relevant public mailing list, and a link to that mail
provided with the application.
* If a developer repeatedly advocates individuals who cause
problems and need to be removed, the Debian Maintainer Keyring
team may stop accepting advocacy from that developer. If the
advocacy appears to be malicious or particularly careless, the
Debian Account Managers may consider removing that developer
from the project.
5) The intial policy for the use of the Debian Maintainer keyring with the
Debian archive will be to accept uploads signed by a key in that keyring
provided:
* none of the uploaded packages are NEW
* the Maintainer: field of the uploaded .changes file corresponds
with the owner of the key used (ie, non-developer maintainers
may not sponsor uploads)
* none of the packages are being taken over from other source packages
* the most recent version of the package uploaded to unstable or
experimental includes the field "DM-Upload-Allowed: yes"
in the source section of its control file.
* the most recent version of the package uploaded to unstable
or experimental lists the uploader in the Maintainer: or Uploaders:
fields (ie, non-developer maintainers cannot NMU or hijack packages)
* the usual checks applied to uploads from Debian developers pass
6) The initial relationship to the existing new-maintainer (n-m) procedure
will be as an independent means of contributing to Debian. This means,
among other things, that:
* Applicants in the n-m queue may choose to apply to be a Debian
maintainer while finishing their application or waiting for
it to be accepted.
* Individuals may apply to the n-m process, and pass through it
without becoming a Debian maintainer at any point.
* Individuals may apply to become a Debian Maintainer without being
in the n-m queue, or having any intention of joining the n-m queue.
* Appication Managers may advocate their n-m applicants but
are not required to. They may decide to only advocate applicants
who have passed some (or all) of the T&S or P&P checks.
7) There is no initial policy or plans for use of the keyring outside
the archive. Individuals who wish to reuse the keyring for granting
access to services to some or all Debian Maintainers may do so
according to their own judgement, of course.
In particular, this means that Debian maintainers do not participate
in the general resolution procedure defined in the Debian constitution,
and cannot vote in Debian elections.
==== Debian Maintainers Proposal ====
Seconds, comments or amendments appreciated.