Proposal: sunset the backports pockets

[Robie Basak]

Dear Ubuntu Developers,

As far as I am aware, the Ubuntu Backports Team has been inactive for
years now, and backports requests and uploads just languish in
Launchpad. Thomas Ward last proposed an effort to revitalise it over two
years ago, but with no response. I believe he's no longer available to
contribute now.

My concern is that the backports documentation and process still exist,
so users and contributors are being misled into thinking that something
will happen, when it won't.

I would be very happy for the backports process to continue, but I think
it's time to accept that it isn't happening, call a spade a spade, and
shut the process down and document this properly to stop misleading
users about it.

For example, I just handled LP: #1902198 having received an out-of-band
ping, and looking at https://bugs.launchpad.net/focal-backports there
are multiple recent requests that we know are not going to be answered
from a backports pocket perspective.

Any objections? If you do object, please provide an alternative proposal
that will mean that users stop getting misled.

Robie
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