Proposal for revitalizing the sponsorship process for packaging

[Alec Leamas]

On 04/26/2012 04:58 PM, Michael Schwendt wrote:
> On Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:17:09 +0200, AL (Alec) wrote:
> [cut]
> And for the second part, that somebody has "a good connection with
> upstream", I'm not sure how that will help, *if* not even one packager
> is available. Worse if the single person with interest in the software
> also doesn't want to become the Fedora packager for it.
True. But if a packager is there, it's an advantage to have that 
connection. Or?

My theory is that packaging actually takes place from time to time 
despite all these obstacles, and that a motivated upstream contact makes 
this easier.

> IMO, the whole co-maintainer dilemma is that once there is first packager
> (aka "the package owner"), everyone else hopes that the package is taken
> care of (read: the existing packager does all the work). Of course, in
> case of bugs or a package getting out-of-date, still nobody is willing to
> contribute.
But if you pick someone's request   from an upcoming wishlist, you have 
the chance to make a contract, so to speak before undertaking to package 
the thing.  Not foolprof in any way, but better than today?!

[cut]
> What I cannot take serious: if someone has submitted a package review
> request in 2010 and in 2012 complains that the package is still in the queue.
> If during such a long time, the submitter has not tried to review the own
> package (or a different package in the queue) in accordance with the
> guidelines. Very strange are also package submitters, who "talk to themselves"
> by posting src.rpm updates in bugzilla without feedback from any reviewer,
> but again without saying themselves "hey, I could take a look at the
> ReviewGuidelines page myself and try to figure out whether my package is
> ready, and if I think it's ready, join a list and announce that".
>
OT? The question here isn't really what submitters  do or don't, isn't 
it what we could do to improve the process?.

I would really like to reconnect to Jon's reply at 
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/devel/2012-April/166429.html. 
What can we do to support those people who have a great app they wan't 
into Fedora, without forcing them to be (possibly bad) packagers?

This is related to the sponsorship process if we can find a way for some 
of those which doesn't include sponsoring a new packager.

--a