Proposal: sunset the backports pockets

[Jeffrey Lane]

Would it be worthwhile, (or possible) to keep it open quietly for
special cases?  Or perhaps amend the SRU process to incorporate bits
of Backports?

Specifically, I'm thinking of cases like this bug I've been working on:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ipmctl/+bug/1903204

Where I'm working on trying to get a package updated wholesale in
Focal.  SRU feels like the wrong approach here, but at the time I
didn't realise there may have been other avenues to pursue.  Backports
feels like cases like this one would be much easier and cleaner
resolve as it provides a means for a much larger update to a package.
Of course, I'm also viewing that as only for cases like this where
there's a package that needs to be updated, but is not a core piece
(mdadm, for example, is generic enough that changes there need to be
SRUs instead) and builds cleanly on the older toolchains.

That's just my 2 cents worth of opinion. I will work through whatever
processes I need to, but this seems like it could still be quite
useful, I just need to know who to bug to get a package uploaded (if
you choose to keep it available in some form).

Note, this is not a common thing for me, most of my work is in patch
pulls for kernel SRUs, I hardly ever touch user space, but there are
cases like ipmctl and ledmon that need updating and could benefit from
an easier process.

On Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 9:49 AM Robie Basak <robie.basak at ubuntu.com> wrote:
>
> On Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 02:33:58PM +0100, Iain Lane wrote:
> > The best way forward would be if someone had the spoons for that.
> > happy to help review, but I'm not likely to drive it, sorry. In the
> > absence of any of this happening, I would support notifying folks that
> > the current process is deprecated.
>
> Right - this is the problem. We all have ideas about how to improve
> things. But until/unless someone steps up and drives, I think we're
> actively harming our community by the broken process still existing.
> Given that nobody has managed reform in years, I think it's time we gave
> it up.
>
> Separately, I'm unhappy about continuing any process which gives some
> set of privileged people access to upload to backports but is
> effectively closed to everyone else. This isn't very Ubuntu. Either the
> privileged people need to sort out an effective review process, or the
> pocket should generally be closed to new uploads regardless of your
> status.
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-- 
Jeff Lane
Engineering Manager
IHV/OEM Alliances and Server Certification

"Entropy isn't what it used to be."