On 06/08/2024 11:22, Luca Boccassi wrote:
On Tue, 6 Aug 2024 at 11:10, Matthew Vernon <matt...@debian.org> wrote:
Hi,
On 06/08/2024 10:42, Luca Boccassi wrote:
This is not a hard technical problem with no known solution that we
are asking for design guidance on. This is a trivial technical
problem with a hard social conflict at its core. What we are really
blocked on is that the current owner of os-release refuses to let us
fix it.
This is an unfair and inaccurate summary. The policy question of "should
testing and unstable be differentiated by os-release" isn't
straightforward, and there isn't consensus that the answer should be
"yes", as you would like it to be.
But in what way is it inaccurate?
Your text says (at least as I read it) "the technical problem is easy,
but the os-release maintainer is preventing us from implementing the
otherwise-agreed solution". This is an accusation of poor conduct aimed
at the os-release maintainer.
Given that there is a policy question here that is not straightforward
(and where there isn't an obvious consensus), this isn't a fair
accusation to make. People are allowed to disagree with each other in
Debian, and must be allowed to do so without being accused of acting in
bad faith.
And same question as I asked Sean earlier - by "consensus" here, do
you mean that you want to see more people outside of TC members
chiming in on the policy question?
No. TC bugs are not popularity contests. My point is that your paragraph
I objected to was claiming that the os-release maintainer was stopping
"us" [presumably meaning Debian] from fixing the bug that os-release
does not differentiate between testing and unstable.
In fact, you are trying to change Debian's position on the
differentiation between testing and unstable; the os-release maintainer
is acting, in effect, to maintain the current RT position. You are
"blocked" by having not yet persuaded the necessary people (RT at least,
maybe also the TC) that this change should happen.
To be clear: it's perfectly OK to want to change the project's position
on this question (even though I don't currently agree with you); it's
perfectly OK to try and persuade the os-release maintainer to do as you
wish; it's _not_ OK to accuse the os-release maintainer of bad behaviour
because they don't agree with you.
Regards,
Matthew
