ubuntu feisty experiences

[ded]

On Sat, Dec 16, 2006 at 07:23:29AM -0700, Collins Richey wrote:
> Yes I fault their failure to test, but I also fault Debian for
> producing the broken package in the first place.

Collins,
I don't know who the DD is that packages PHP for Debian, and I don't
know the Ubuntu Developer/team that packages PHP for Ubuntu. There
is a possibility that it might be the same person, but if it is then
he's wearing his Ubuntu hat rather than his DD hat. Any way I see
it, it's really up to Ubuntu to decide if a package is fit enought
for inclusion into a release.

> Unless I'm wrong, they have even more testers than Ubuntu, so there's
> enough blame to go around.

More testers? Or Developers do you mean? Anyone who runs Sid and
submits bug reports is a tester by definition. Developers on the
other hand are only responsible for the packages that they chose to
maintain.

> In this case even the simplest test would fail (phpinfo()
> segfaults!), so they tossed it over the wall after packaging.

Ubuntu could have made the choice not to include the package, or
possibly ship with an older version until they (Ubuntu) got the
package in shape.


> I'm not impressed with either Debian's or Ubuntu's testing
> procedures.

I heard this a lot while I was involved in the Debian community,
and my thought was always this...if you run unstable  you are expected
to know how to fix things as unstable is just what the name implies.
If you don't know how to fix things, then your best bet is stable as
things are usually more broken in testing than they are in unstable
(IMHO).
As for the testing procedures themselves, a package enters the
unstable repository for a reason...it's a work in progress. The
testers as you refer to them are people who run sid and (for the
most part) know how to fix broken things. They test whatever
programs they run on their systems by using them and generating bug
reports when they find an issue. That's how it goes. Debian is (with
the exception of two temporarily paid release managers) a volunteer
community. They put what time they have to offer into maintaining a
package.
If you are that unimpressed with either Debian or Ubuntu's results,
I wholehearted encourage you to get involved with the developement
side of either project where you can make a contribution. :)

I'm not trying to be unfriendly or snippy about this, I just think
it's unfair to blame one distribution for a buggy package included in
another distributions release.

Dan