What does one do about a package maintainer with an attitude problem?

[Jon Ciesla]

On Mon, Jul 22, 2013 at 11:41 AM, Jonathan Kamens <jik at kamens.us> wrote:

>  What can be done about a package maintainer with, for lack of a better
> term, an ongoing attitude problem?
>
> Here are some examples of interactions I've had with this individual. I am
> trying to be circumspect because I'm not trying to engage in public
> shaming, but I really need some advice...
>
> The maintainer closed an abrt crash report about a package with
> INSUFFICIENT_DATA. He didn't actually ask the reporter of the issue for any
> additional information before closing it. I asked why in the bug, and he
> responded, "No steps to reproduce = closed bug. Why should we have to ask
> as it takes valuable time?" Leaving aside for the fact that I think he's
> wrong about that to begin with, I posted my own reproduction steps in the
> bug and he didn't reopen it.
>
> I filed another defect about the same package because one of its dialogs
> provided several pieces of incorrect information about a particular
> configuration setting and how to change it. He responded, "Oh, that screen
> is wrong, we don't actually use that configuration setting. Here's the
> setting you actually need to use, and how to examine or change it from the
> command line." Then he closed the defect with NOTABUG. I responded and
> pointed out that surely it was a bug that the dialog gave incorrect
> information about both the value of the setting and how to change it, and
> surely it was a but that the setting could only be changed from the command
> line. He ignored my comment and did not reopen the bug.
>
> I filed another defect about the same page explaining exactly what I had
> done to cause the issue I was reporting. He closed the bug with
> INSUFFICIENT_DATA, without any comment about what exactly he found lacking
> in my reproduction steps. I didn't try to argue with him, because, well,
> I'd seen by this point how much good that would do.
>
> I am reluctant to criticize the volunteers without whom Fedora would not
> exist, but at the same time, I think this package maintainer is doing a
> poor job of maintaining this package (and, I assume, the others he
> maintains), doing a poor job of providing feedback about issues like this
> to the upstream maintainers, and scaring away end users from filing defects
> about real issues.
>
> Is there anything that can be done?
>
> I'd suggest either the person's sponsor or
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Community_working_group

-J


> Thanks,
>
>   jik
>
> **
>
> --
> test mailing list
> test at lists.fedoraproject.org
> To unsubscribe:
> https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/test
>



-- 
http://cecinestpasunefromage.wordpress.com/
------------------------------------------------
in your fear, seek only peace
in your fear, seek only love

-d. bowie
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/test/attachments/20130722/a2f88e9c/attachment.html>