Hi Robert,
Am Sat, Mar 15, 2025 at 04:34:09PM -0400 schrieb Roberto C. Sánchez:
> Question: Should uncoordinated NMUs unilaterally choose Salsa as the VCS
> for a package?
I agree that *uncoordinated* NMUs should not simply choose Salsa as VCS.
> * Does your NMU really fix bugs? ("Bugs" means any kind of bugs, e.g.
> wishlist bugs for packaging a new upstream version, but care should
> be taken to minimize the impact to the maintainer.) Fixing cosmetic
> issues or changing the packaging style in NMUs is discouraged.
>
> I had thought of possibly suggesting an update to the documentation, but
> I'm not sure that adding more words would make the matter any more
> clear.
I'd like to stir some constructive discussion about this-hopefully
leading to a procedure that is acceptable to everyone and can be
finalized for discussion at DebCamp.
> How do others suggest to handle this particular situation?
I support issuing a warning before performing an NMU. These NMUs should
only apply to packages that have not been uploaded by their maintainer
for at least five years (more than two releases) and should meet
additional criteria, which I'd like to define together with your input.
If there is no response within 21 days (aligning with the ITS process
timeline), an NMU to delayed=10 based on a repository on Salsa should be
acceptable. The key rationale is to ensure that the history of NMUs is
properly recorded.
The following example brought this to my mind: The package pccts[1] has
been NMUed four times in a row, with the last maintainer upload dating
back to 2010.
I reported the maintainer to the MIA team, as this is their only package
and I have seen no activity from them. So far, I have closed five bugs
and updated the packaging to the latest standards. However, there are
still unresolved issues, and I would like to invite others to contribute
to this effort. Maintaining the package in Git would be essential to
continue this work effectively.
To address this, I opened a bug with the proposed warning[2]. What do
you think about this as a first experiment to determine what is
acceptable and what is not?
What do you think?
Kind regards
Andreas.
[1] https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/pccts
[2] https://bugs.debian.org/1100859
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