Tanguy Ortolo <tanguy+deb...@ortolo.eu> writes: > For the beginner's point of view, it looks like: > * there are not enough DD with time to review all proposed packages; > * to have more DD people have to apply; > * applicants have to show their skills and motivation by… maintaining > packages, which requires sponsorship.
Not true. Applicants can show their skills and motivation by contributing to existing packages. I would even argue that it's more important to do that than to submit new packages. Pick bug reports, submit patches to fix them, respond to feedback, demonstrate persistence and patience and ability to learn by husbanding those patches through to release with the existing maintainer. I have great confidence that anyone hoping to become a DD will learn a great deal about how Debian works by following this process. Following this successfully will not only improve Debian where it's sorely needed, but will also establish exactly the kind of relationships you need to gain advocacy from others and smooth your entry into the project. Bonus points for choosing packages which the maintainer has flagged with a Request For Help (RFH) bug report; install the ‘devscripts’ package and run ‘wnpp-alert’ frequently. > So this looks like a vicious cirle. Easily resolved by sufficient motivation and willingness to improve Debian generally, rather than fretting about specific new releases. > Failing to get sponsorship is very frustrating, because you make some > work you find useful, and, because nobody validates it, it remains > useless. This is a very real problem, and the feeling of frustration is not to be brushed aside. However, in a way, it helps to redirect the focus to where it's needed: relieving the load on *existing* package maintainers by helping them with packages that are already in Debian. -- \ “We have to go forth and crush every world view that doesn't | `\ believe in tolerance and free speech.” —David Brin | _o__) | Ben Finney
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