Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > linux.debian.user > #175251 > unrolled thread

It there a way to file a complaint against a package maintainer?

Back to article view | Back to linux.debian.user

Contents

  It there a way to file a complaint against a package maintainer? J Mo <jmomo@jmomo.net> - 2016-11-30 00:10 +0100
    Re: It there a way to file a complaint against a package maintainer? John Hasler <jhasler@newsguy.com> - 2016-11-30 00:30 +0100
    Re: It there a way to file a complaint against a package maintainer? Ben Finney <bignose@debian.org> - 2016-11-30 01:10 +0100

#175251 — It there a way to file a complaint against a package maintainer?

Hello!

Is there any standard method for filing a complaint against a Debian 
package maintainer?

Unfortunately, a package that is important to me has been picked up by a 
new maintainer after the old one abandoned it.

This new maintainer has caused a lot of problems because they, 
admittedly, don't use the package themselves and don't really understand 
it. The person is a mediocre programmer and has trouble with bash 
scripts. The motives for why this person adopted this package are not clear.

The new maintainer has broken lots of things, mass-closed all old bugs 
without having resolved anything (even bugs that had recent 
comments/updates), and is generally causing a lot of grief for us users 
of the package.

Anyone have any advice?

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#175252

leader@debian.org

First, though, you should contact the maintainer and offer to help.
Many Debian packages are maintained by groups.
-- 
John Hasler 
jhasler@newsguy.com
Elmwood, WI USA

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#175254

J Mo <jmomo@jmomo.net> writes:

> This new maintainer has caused a lot of problems because they,
> admittedly, don't use the package themselves and don't really
> understand it.

This is, I think, one of the better reasons to intervene. If there are
willing maintainers among the actual user community for a package, those
people have a somewhat stronger claim to the package maintainer role
than people who are not in the user community of that package.

> Anyone have any advice?

People will naturally care about various things in this matter. Be aware
of the natural tendency for such interactions to escalate, and continue
to instead seek dispassionate discussion of problems.

Keep calm. Always leave space for a graceful response. Seek discussion
and consensus. Be guided by what's best for the user community of that
package, the user community of Debian as a whole, and of software
freedom generally.

-- 
 \                 “What's another word for Thesaurus?” —Steven Wright |
  `\                                                                   |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | linux.debian.user

csiph-web