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Trevor <debain...@gmail.com> wrote on 02/09/2024 at 20:42:08+0200: > Remove my email from all lists. > > On Mon, Sep 2, 2024 at 9:24 AM Andreas Tille <ti...@debian.org> wrote: > > Dear Debian community, > > this are my bits from DPL for August. > > Happy Birthday Debian > --------------------- > > On 16th of August Debian celebrated its 31th birthday. Since I'm > unable to write a better text than our great publicity team I'm > simply linking to their article for those who might have missed it: > > https://bits.debian.org/tag/birthday.html > > Removing more packages from unstable > ------------------------------------ > > Helmut Grohne argued for more aggressive package removal and sought > consensus on a way forward[ru1]. He provided six examples of processes > where packages that are candidates for removal are consuming valuable > person-power. I’d like to add that the Bug of the Day initiative (see > below) also frequently encounters long-unmaintained packages with popcon > votes sometimes as low as zero, and often fewer than ten. > > Helmut's email included a list of packages that would meet the suggested > removal criteria. There was some discussion about whether a popcon vote > should be included in these criteria, with arguments both for[ru2] and > against[ru3] it. Although I support including popcon, I acknowledge that > Helmut has a valid point in suggesting it be left out. > > While I’ve read several emails in agreement, Scott Kitterman made a > valid point[ru4]: "I don't think we need more process. We just need > someone to do the work of finding the packages and filing the bugs." I > agree that this is crucial to ensure an automated process doesn’t lead > to unwanted removals. However, I don’t see "someone" stepping up to file > RM bugs against other maintainers' packages. As long as we have strict > ownership of packages, many people are hesitant to touch a package, even > for fixing it. Asking for its removal might be even less well-received. > Therefore, if an automated procedure were to create RM bugs based on > defined criteria, it could help reduce some of the social pressure. > > In this aspect the opinion of Niels Thykier[ru5] is interesting: "As > much as I want automation, I do not mind the prototype starting as a > semi-automatic process if that is what it takes to get started." > > The urgency of the problem to remove packages was put by Charles > Plessy[ru6] into the words: "So as of today, it is much less work to > keep a package rotting than removing it." My observation when trying to > fix the Bug of the Day exactly fits this statement. > > I would love for this discussion to lead to more aggressive removals > that we can agree upon, whether they are automated, semi-automated, or > managed by a person processing an automatically generated list > (supported by an objective procedure). To use an analogy: I’ve found > that every image collection improves with aggressive pruning. Similarly, > I’m convinced that Debian will improve if we remove packages that no > longer serve our users well. > > [ru1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00298.html > [ru2] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00362.html > [ru3] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00354.html > [ru4] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00314.html > [ru5] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00306.html > [ru6] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00320.html > > DEP14 / DEP18 > ------------- > > There are two DEPs that affect our workflow for maintaining > packages—particularly for those who agree on using Git for Debian > packages. DEP-14 recommends a standardized layout for Git packaging > repositories, which benefits maintainers working across teams and makes > it easier for newcomers to learn a consistent repository structure. > > DEP-14 stalled for various reasons. Sam Hartman suspected[de2] it might > be because 'it doesn't bring sufficient value.' However, the assumption > that git-buildpackage is incompatible with DEP-14 is incorrect, as > confirmed by its author, Guido Günther[de3]. As one of the two key tools > for Debian Git repositories (besides dgit) fully supports DEP-14, though > the migration from the previous default is somewhat complex. > > Some investigation into mass-converting older formats to DEP-14 was > conducted by the Perl team, as Gregor Hermann pointed out.[de4]. > > The discussion about DEP-14 resurfaced with the suggestion of DEP-18. > Guido Günther proposed the title[de5] 'Encourage Continuous Integration > and Merge Request-Based Collaboration for Debian Packages,' which more > accurately reflects the DEP's technical intent. > > Otto Kekäläinen, who initiated DEP-18 (thank you, Otto), provided a good > summary of the current status[de6]. He also assembled a very helpful > overview of Git and GitLab usage in other Linux distros[de7]. > > [de1] https://dep-team.pages.debian.net/deps/dep14/ > [de2] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00229.html > [de3] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00212.html > [de4] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00232.html > [de5] https://salsa.debian.org/dep-team/deps/-/merge_requests/8#note_520426 > [de6] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00433.html > [de7] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00419.html > > More Salsa CI > ------------- > > As a result of the DEP-18 discussion, Otto Kekäläinen suggested > implementing Salsa CI for our top popcon packages[ci1]. > > I believe it would be a good idea to enable CI by default across Salsa > whenever a new repository is created.[ci2] > > [ci1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00318.html > [ci2] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/08/msg00370.html > > Progress in Salsa migration > --------------------------- > > In my campaign, I stated[sm1] that I aim to reduce the number of > packages maintained outside Salsa to below 2,000. As of March 28, 2024, > the count was 2,368. Today, it stands at 2,187[sm2]. > > After a third of my DPL term (OMG), we've made significant progress, > reducing the amount in question (369 packages) by nearly half. I'm > pleased with the support from the DDs who moved their packages to Salsa. > Some packages were transferred as part of the Bug of the Day initiative > (see below). > > [s1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-vote/2024/03/msg00057.html > [sm2] UDD query: > SELECT DISTINCT count(*) FROM sources WHERE release = 'sid' and vcs_url not > like '%salsa%' ; > > Bug of the Day > -------------- > > As announced in my 'Bits from the DPL' talk at DebConf[bd1], I started > an initiative called Bug of the Day[bd2]. The goal is to train newcomers > in bug triaging by enabling them to tackle small, self-contained QA > tasks. We have consistently identified target packages and resolved at > least one bug per day, often addressing multiple bugs in a single > package. > > In several cases, we followed the Package Salvaging procedure outlined > in the Developers Reference[bd3]. Most instances were either welcomed by > the maintainer or did not elicit a response. Unfortunately, there was > one exception where the recipient of the Package Salvage bug expressed > significant dissatisfaction. The takeaway is to balance formal > procedures with consideration for the recipient’s perspective. > > I'm pleased to confirm that the Matrix channel[bd4] has seen an increase > in active contributors. This aligns with my hope that our efforts would > attract individuals interested in QA work. I’m particularly pleased > that, within just one month, we have had help with both fixing bugs and > improving the code that aids in bug selection. > > As I aim to introduce newcomers to various teams within Debian, I also > take the opportunity to learn about each team's specific policies > myself. I rely on team members' assistance to adapt to these policies. I > find that gaining this practical insight into team dynamics is an > effective way to understand the different teams within Debian as DPL. > > Another finding from this initiative, which aligns with my goal as DPL, > is that many of the packages we addressed are already on Salsa but have > not been uploaded, meaning their VCS fields are not published. This > suggests that maintainers are generally open to managing their packages > on Salsa. For packages that were not yet on Salsa, the move was > generally welcomed. > > [bd1] https://debconf24.debconf.org/talks/20-bits-from-the-dpl/ > [bd2] https://salsa.debian.org/tille/tiny_qa_tools/-/wikis/Tiny-QA-tasks > [bd3] > https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/developers-reference/pkgs.en.html#package-salvaging > [bd4] https://matrix.to/#/#debian-tiny-tasks:matrix.org > > Publicity team wants you > ------------------------ > > The publicity team has decided to resume regular meetings to coordinate > their efforts. Given my high regard for their work, I plan to attend > their meetings as frequently as possible, which I began doing with the > first IRC meeting. > > During discussions with some team members, I learned that the team could > use additional help. If anyone interested in supporting Debian with > non-packaging tasks reads this, please consider introducing yourself to > debian-public...@lists.debian.org. Note that this is a publicly archived > mailing list, so it's not the best place for sharing private > information. > > Kind regards > Andreas. > > -- > https://fam-tille.de
