Understanding the definitions and expectations of our membership processes

[Mackenzie Morgan]

On Wed, Jul 27, 2011 at 3:55 PM, Chase Douglas
<chase.douglas at canonical.com> wrote:
> However, I'm not quite sure on what the policy is for upload rights. The
> issue I see is that the upload rights seem to be based on an intangible
> "quantity" of stuff, and the "stuff" does not feel appropriate to me. My
> understanding is that the "stuff" is experience in packaging. The
> "quantity" of stuff relates both to how much packaging one has done, and
> how many different forms of packaging one has worked on.

I was unsure about my MOTU application when I applied. On the one
hand, I had Ogra being surprised when I needed a sponsor for Universe
packages (other devs are surprised you can't upload? take it as a
hint), but on the other I had like 15 uploads (wasn't sure that was
enough). I kind of had the impression that I might need more uploads
than that, and I've heard things where people think they need like
30+, and that's just...a lot.  I did do my first merge only a half
hour before the IRC meeting, and in the meeting I explained this as "I
didn't think I stood a chance without having done one."  I did not do
any FTBFS or binary-new packages before my application.

So, for me, the quantity of "stuff" expected is not huge.  For a MOTU,
I'd be more interested in the variety. If the person uploaded the same
5 packages 3 times each...why not go for PPU? If you're interested in
a broader range of packages....show that.

If you're just going for PPU, I'm not likely to care whether you have
experience with lots of types of packaging, as long as you understand
the ones used in the packages you're asking for.  For MOTU/Core-Dev,
the "knowing your limits" thing comes in and includes "knowing when
you're running across one of those types you haven't done before"

> The problem with this approach is that it doesn't fit the granted
> privileges. The privilege is the ability to upload to the official
> archive. AFAIK, there is no other privilege associated with PPU, MOTU,
> or Core-Dev. Essentially, the question is: do we trust the applicant
> with the ability to make any changes to the set of packages they apply
> for. Trust is orthogonal to skills/experience.

They are related though. Experience teaches you your limits.  Spending
some time getting involved also gives you a chance to get to know lots
of members of the community, and therefore establish trust with them.

-- 
Mackenzie Morgan