[csw-maintainers] OpenCSW Summer Camp

[Philip Brown]

On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 10:49:01AM +0200, Peter Bonivart wrote:
>...
>    * Tier 1 packages must always be actively maintained, possibly by
> more than one maintainer for quick responses to security updates and
> bug reports. All tier 1 packages must be in GAR.

What you are suggesting, would be described in US political terms, as 
an "unfunded mandate". (saying "do this", but providing no resources 
 to actually do it)

Even if we declared this somehow to be in effect, that does not magically
produce maintainers who are willing to step up and do the job.

Things like this best happen from the bottom up.
If people want to volunteer to help out [current maintainer], then
they are free to do so now.


>    * Tier 2 packages should be actively maintained by maintainers who
> use their own packages on a daily basis. Packages should be in GAR.

Again, an "unfunded mandate".
It's all very well to declare, "well, package x is really important: it
MUST be maintained by someone who uses it on a daily basis!!"

But now, try to magically produce someone who both fits these requirements,
AND is willing to put in the effort to maintain it!

Your suggestions in this area are remarkably, and ironically, dictatorial
:-)


If package x, has maintainer X, who rarely uses it, and maintainer Y
DOES use it every day... maintainer Y is perfectly allowed to step forward
and volunteer to take over the package. This happens already, and it has
never been turned down, either by me, or by the "maintainer X' in question.
There's no need to make unneccessary extra "rules" about this stuff. 
Particularly rules that just dont fit into a volunteer organization such
as ours.