On 2025-03-21 15:14 -0700, Otto Kekäläinen wrote:
But the core of my question here was about the apparent conflict of signing up for LowThresholdNmu as an indication that you are open for collaboration, yet not having the package in VCS, which would make the collaboration easier. I am trying to understand why certain people object to using VCS while to most people I work with would not consider doing software development without a VCS at all.
I have been on LowThresholdNmu for many years. I am very happy for people to fix my packages. But I don't use Salsa, or a VCS, in my packaging workflow, so people sticking it in one on Salsa is essentially irrelevant, and a little bit presumptive/annoying. I know you can't understand why anyone would do this in 2025, but as I've explained before (but you appear to have forgotten given the above message), I am happy with the quilt-based workflow I've been using for a very long time. I did try all that newflangled (git/salsa/dgit) stuff a couple of years ago, but it was mostly annoying so I went back to doing it the way I already know the runes for. If someone does an NMU, I expect them to tell me (by email/bug report containing the patch and any relevant discussion). I will then (try to remember to) update my package from the archive before doing my next release so I don't lose their changes in a future upload. That's it. I'd prefer if they didn't stick it on Salsa because it's going to just moulder and become out of date there (unless there are more NMUs than maintainer updates). But I don't _really_ care - I probably won't even notice (until the next person comes along and NMUs from an out-of-date salsa repo - then I will get grumpy).I do use VCSes for some things, just not (on the whole) debian packaging.
Can we improve VCS in some way to using it becomes generally accepted as a good thing?
I think it already is largely accepted as a good thing, but you cannot force it everyone, as there seems to be an increasing tendency to want to do in this project. Well you can, but if you are too annoying about it, I'll just go an spend my time on something else - I have a very long list... I'll get there eventually (probably). But the pesistent drumbeat telling me I am doing it wrong (TM) is getting a bit tiresome. I have a working system and a corresponding body of knowledge. My packages are generally sufficiently obscure that it's only me working on them. It's not broken, so at least for the time being, I prefer to spend my time on things that _do_ need fixing (I have lots of those). I remain very happy for people to do NMUs. I appreciate their effort. That does _not_ mean I must intrinsically want said packages converted to an entirely different workflow. Sorry Otto :-) Wookey -- Principal hats: Debian, Wookware http://wookware.org/
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