Nitpicking updates/testing

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Thu, 29 Jul 2004 16:07:41 +0100, Carlos Rodrigues
<carlos.efr at mail.telepac.pt> wrote:
> Aren't packages in updates/testing supposed to be moved to updates?
> Right now there are some packages there that have long been available in
> updates (xorg-x11 for instance).

some packages... sure
some packages... not so sure
it depends on what the individual package maintainer's intent for
releasing the test package is.
it depends on the problems being reported about the test package, and
the grey line concerning if new problems being reported against the
test package are worth inflicting on users of the current packages.

it also depends on whether the package maintainer who created the test
packages has forgotten about them.  There isn't an automated process
that moves packages over. This is why i try to encourage package
maintainers to use a line like 'I intend to push these test packages
as released updates by <some date> if no problems are found'  in the
test annoucement. So if they do forget, community members have a clear
understanding of the intention and can follow up with the package
maintainer via bugzilla or via email to inquire about the status of
things. A tracking bug number for the test package in the test
annoucement is another good idea, to encourage community to drop and
read comments specific to that package in the same pre-defined
bugreport.

Posts to mailinglists about the status of specific test packages are
not necessarily constructive. The package maintainer for a specific
test package doesn't necessarily read the list frequently enough to
catch a comment like this.

-jef