Proposal: sunset the backports pockets

[Dan Streetman]

On Mon, Jul 19, 2021 at 8:06 AM Robie Basak <robie.basak at ubuntu.com> wrote:
>
> 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.

Yes, objection here. The backports pocket is still in use.

If I understand correctly, as discussed in much greater length in
other posts in this thread, the sole problem with the backports
process is lack of time for the Ubuntu Backports Team to actually
review uploads to the -backports pocket.

If that's the case, then the Canonical Sustaining Engineering Group is
happy to take that over (since 'sustaining' the stable releases
is...our job), please feel free to ping me about ACLs and process
tooling for approving -backports uploads and we'll start reviewing the
queues.

>
> Robie
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