Re: pkglint and R packages

[Greg Troxel <gdt%lexort.com@localhost>]

Jonathan Perkin <jperkin%joyent.com@localhost> writes:

>> Could you clarify the difference?  Sorry, but I'm forgetting what should perhaps be obvious.
>
> Copied from the pkgsrc guide:
>
>   * OWNER should be used instead of MAINTAINER when you do not want other
>     developers to update or change the package without contacting you first. A
>     package Makefile should contain one of MAINTAINER or OWNER, but not both.
>
> I would request that you do not use OWNER unless absolutely necessary,
> it can be incredibly frustrating as a pkgsrc developer if there are
> issues with a package that you want to fix, even if they are trivial,
> but cannot until you have heard back from the owner (who may be on
> vacation or otherwise unavailable).

Agreed.  However, the other side of the coin is that at least some
people should be a bit more respectful about MAINTAINER.  Over the last
few months I have seen significant changes happen to packages that I am
MAINTAINER of with no attempt communication.  One of these resulted in
breaking the package, even though the point of the package was to be
stable because the mainstream version of the package was broken.  This
is the sort of thing that causes people to assert OWNERship.

So a reminder that if there is a MAINTAINER, and what you're going to
change is not obviously right (bug fix, portabilty patch for some
platform, micro update, new option defaulting to the old beavior),
protocol is to ask the MAINTAINER about it.  As MAINTAINER I feel an
obligation to respond quickly to these queries.  If you don't hear back
in a day or so, this is not a blocker.