On Tue, Mar 30 2010, Marc Haber wrote: > On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 11:16:01AM +0200, Raphael Hertzog wrote: >> On Thu, 25 Mar 2010, Manoj Srivastava wrote: >> > What did you say? What difference does it make what tool is used >> > when the result is equal? >> >> It doesn't make a difference for a the end-user, but it makes a difference >> to contributors who have to learn a set of tools in order to be able to >> contribute on a set of packages. If the set of tools to learn is smaller, >> it's easier for the contributor to contribute to more packages and he has >> to spend less time learning, time that can be better spent on improving >> the package and on fixing bugs.
I am not sure that follows. How has my not using debhelper made it harder for newcomers? How many newcomers learn my build system? Or my git work-flow where I use submodules? There is a logical flaw in the assumption that not limiting the choices people have for packaging makes it a harder row to hoe for newbies. > Is "making things easy for newcomers or casual helpers" really so > important that we should risk scaring already active people away > because they have to adapt their optimized workflow for newcomers? > > I can understand Manoj perfectly and would myself probably reduce my > time spent on Debian even more if I were forced to do things more > complicated (or even just different) because of some new policy. This > is a first-class motivation killer for the people who are already there. I have a new job. It is sucking up more time from me, as I learn the ins and outs of how work gets done here. I also have a work-flow that is mostly automated, allowing me to concentrate on fixing bugs and integration issues. Any new complications added into the mix would be a major monkey wrench thrown into the cogs. I am not sure I would be able to give the packages the attention they deserve; I am already at the border line of what I consider adequate maintainership. So yes, busy work for a flawed and needless conformity would impact my contributions to Debian. I am not sure that the benefits of such conformity have been adequately demonstrated. manoj -- Humans are communications junkies. We just can't get enough. Alan Kay Manoj Srivastava <sriva...@debian.org> <http://www.debian.org/~srivasta/> 4096R/C5779A1C E37E 5EC5 2A01 DA25 AD20 05B6 CF48 9438 C577 9A1C -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-vote-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/87y6h928qh....@anzu.internal.golden-gryphon.com