New r-cran-* packages

Dirk Eddelbuettel edd at debian.org
Mon May 18 14:00:28 UTC 2009


On 18 May 2009 at 15:43, Andreas Tille wrote:
| I would exactly use the "tiny packages" argument that they are not worth spending
| time on it if the popcon is quite low and just chunks of documentation have
| changed.

I simply update packages.  I use three to four line shell script snippets for
this, and honestly, I do not spend more than a few minutes a day on it. And I
do keep all my r-cran-* packages current.  That is my choice.

You may have your preferences. If they differ, fine, but let's stop
belabouring that they are different.

| Even if it drains not much time this might sum up and might prevent you from fixing
| other, more pressing problems.  And no, I do not want to use this as an
| excuse

Lastly, your argument 'may prevent you from working on more pressing
problems' presupposes there are such problems.  

My bugcount (outside of forwarded packages and upstream issues) is typically
low and I like it that way too.

| to handle low popcon packages somehow sloppy.  I just think that I also steel
| users time if he notices: Ahh, new upstream version is out, checks the docs and
| realises that nothing really happened.

I think your point -- taken to its extremes -- really is that there are too
many packages, so the answer would to stop uploading new ones. Plus deleting
others.  So that it is easier for users to notice important packages.

Frankly, I disagree.  We once made an editorial choice: "this package is
important enough for inclusion in Debian."  To me, this goes with the promise
of then keeping it (reasonably) bug-free and (if possible) current.  That's
all.  It is not my job to second-guess users.

| > Pleasure. I think I missed one more further down your QA aggregation page.
| > Could you check, and/or let uscan do it for you?
| 
| Metaquestion: Is there a simple way to subscribe to any package where
| I'm listed as Uploader.

For the past several years I relied on

    http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=edd@debian.org

which lists co-maintained packages.  But it also appears to broken by choice
for you guys because a number of my packages appear on the same page when
loaded with your (group) email.  That may be a choice of your group, or a
bug. I don;t know.

Dirk
 

-- 
Three out of two people have difficulties with fractions.



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