Re: [gentoo-dev] Re: [gentoo-commits] gentoo-x86 commit in dev-python/PyZilla: PyZilla-0.1.0.ebuild ChangeLog metadata.xml

["René 'Necoro' Neumann" <lists@necoro.eu>]

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Am 27.03.2011 22:44, schrieb Rich Freeman:
> We shouldn't be punishing people for not becoming developers.  I don't
> want to use a distro that throws up warning messages every few months
> because some package I've been using had its developer retire, and I'm
> a developer.  If it breaks and I care enough about it, I'll rescue it.
>  If I'm passionate about it, I'll step in before it breaks.  Holding
> users ransom is not the solution.

Well, but you need some way of communicate that certain packages are w/o
a proper maintainer. Why else should someone step up? I, for instance,
was quite surprised about the list of m-n packages and seeing that quite
some packages I use are on that list. I would never had a look at it
without this thread (or are users nowadays supposed to check
metadata.xml on a regular basis?).

So, why not at least add some elog-like output at the end of an emerge
run like "The following installed packages are without maintainer:
$LIST. If you want to step up, please see $PROXY_MAINTAINER_URL."

And before you state "well - it is enough if someone steps up when it
breaks": Even then it might get unnoticed, that the package is
unmaintained. I never check thoroughly where the package gets assigned
to during bug-wrangling, and I suppose that I'm not alone here. So the
only thing one notices is a bug which never gets any response. And this
is frustrating.

Regarding the pro-active masking/removal: As a user I'd object to this.
Please try a less obtrusive path first, like the info output I mentioned
above. Seeing that used packages gets masked quite often spawns bad mood
(at least in my experience and seeing reactions in forum threads).

- René


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