Debian MIA: Raiders of the "Lost" Maintainer
Debian project maintainers who just stop maintaining their software packages and fail to respond to mail are a big problem for the free Linux distribution. Now, Debian is introducing new rules to resolve the issue.
This was the decision taken by the Debian Quality Assurance (QA) team that met last week in Merida, Spain. The MIA team is responsible for volunteer Debian developers who go “missing in action” .
Now, whenever somebody reports a Debian developer as inactive to the MIA database, the following process applies. The team first sends a friendly mail to the “missing person” and waits 15 days for a response. The message is then repeated, after all, the original message might have gone astray. After another 15 days, the team sends another package that the team is considering tagging the Debian package as orphaned. The maintainer then has 30 days to respond before the team actually explicitly threatens to tag the package as orphaned. After another 15 days the package is then finally classified as orphaned, and after another 90 days, the Debian project sends a goodbye mail to the ex-developer.
The MIA project is quick to point out that sending mails to Debian developers is not its only purpose in life: it also happy to help volunteers to secure more help for package maintenance. The MIA database is non-public as it contains personal data.
The MIA Team is still looking for Debian developers interested in helping out. For more information, refer to the chapter Debian Developer Documentation
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The GNU Project Celebrates Its 40th Birthday
September 27 marks the 40th anniversary of the GNU Project, and it was celebrated with a hacker meeting in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland.
-
Linux Kernel Reducing Long-Term Support
LTS support for the Linux kernel is about to undergo some serious changes that will have a considerable impact on the future.
-
Fedora 39 Beta Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.