From: dxld@darkboxed.org   
      
   Hello Debian,   
   Hello World,   
      
   Over the last month Community Team has recognized increasing concern among   
   the community about the ongoing process to change responsibilities over the   
   Debian Archive driven by Debian Project Leader - Andreas Tille.   
      
   Now that the DFSG Team delegation is official I would like us to take a   
   moment for us to reflect and   
      
    - Try to address some of the concerns and confusion we've seen,   
       
    - Share some of what has been happening behind the scenes and   
      
    - Introduce the [freshly minted] team and their work so far.   
      
   [freshly minted]: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce   
   2026/01/msg00008.html "New delegation for DFSG, Licensing & New Packages Team   
   (superseding previous announcement) - Jan 2026"   
      
      
   == Context ==   
      
   I have been acting as an observer to the transition process from the start   
   in order to better understand the perspectives involved. I've been sitting   
   in on meetings between new DFSG team prospects and the DPL as well as   
   receiving much of the internal communication between them and the long   
   established FTP Master, or rather now [Archive Operations] team.   
      
   [Archive Operations]: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-anno   
   nce/2025/10/msg00003.html "New delegation for Debian Archive Operations Team -   
   Oct 2025"   
      
   I have drafted this mail in collaboration with members of the new DFSG   
   Team, other members of Community Team and the DPL.   
      
      
   == What's going on ==   
      
   For almost *two decades* now the FTP Master delegates and their team   
   carried an enormous responsibility in our project:   
      
    - Maintaining the availability and security of Debian's critical package   
      archive and   
       
    - Diligently reviewing each and every NEW package that enters Debian.   
      
   In short: they've been ensuring stability for the foundation Debian is   
   built upon.   
      
   Their work has been essential to the project, and all of us inside and   
   outside the Debian project owe them a great debt of gratitude.   
      
   At the same time several consecutive DPLs as well as many project delegates   
   have observed that FTP team has been facing increasing challenges in some   
   important aspects of their responsibilities:   
      
    - Recruiting as well as retaining new team members,   
      
    - Keeping the project as a whole informed of their activities,   
      
    - Being open to the project's input in order to adapt to a changing world.   
      
   That state of affairs ultimately led to one team member carrying the vast   
   majority of, the team's ongoing package review workload.   
      
      
   Most recently [96.87%] of it to be exact.   
      
   For years now.   
      
   With no change in sight.   
      
   Let that sink in for a minute.   
      
      
   [96.87%]: https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2025/11/msg00222.html   
      
   While this level of dedication to Debian volunteer work is truly admirable   
   the imbalance in workload is not a hallmark of a well-functioning team and   
   has resisted repeated attempts at improving the situation.   
      
   Within the Debian community, there have long been complaints about the   
   unpredictability of NEW processing time as well as nontransparent and rigid   
   policy on both licensing and technical aspects.   
      
   Along with the team's existing challenges this has created palpable   
   frustration among Debian Developers, package Maintainers, and, reportedly,   
   even more far-flung members of our community alike.   
      
   While /effectively/ single-person teams are an unfortunate reality in some   
   areas of Debian it's simply not a sustainable state of affairs for one of   
   *the most foundational* areas of our project.   
      
      
   == A way forward ==   
      
   Over the years several DPLs have recognized the situation, but did not find   
   or execute on solutions instead leaving it for their successors.   
      
   Now, instead of letting us continue to avoid facing these challenges even   
   longer DPL Andreas has, in my view, courageously made the decision to try   
   and improve a very difficult situation based on a brilliant idea originally   
   proposed by a member of FTP team itself:   
      
   Working towards a division of responsibilities over the Debian Archive by   
   creating two distinct delegated roles.   
      
   Basically:   
      
    - Debian Archive Operations - the same people as FTP Master previously   
      
    - DFSG, Licensing & New Packages Review - led and organized by new people   
      
   In my personal view the idea itself represents a powerful compromise that   
   makes the best of a very difficult situation.   
      
   It has the best chance out of all the other strategies considered at   
   retaining the invaluable know-how accrued by the existing team and allowing   
   them to focus on what they already excel at: running and maintaining the   
   archive's technical foundation.   
      
   All while at the same time balancing their needs with the Debian   
   community's need for more openness, predictability and a policy-making   
   process for NEW package acceptance that reflects our project's shared   
   values.   
      
   Throughout the process of re-forming DFSG Team, delegates of Archive Team   
   (previously, FTP master) have been kept in the loop and were invited by   
   Andreas and others on the team to collaborate in a positive manner, above   
   and beyond what our Code of Conduct would require.   
      
      
   == Call for Kindness and Patience ==   
      
   Organizational changes like the one before us are never easy. People who   
   have had a certain responsibility for long enough it's become part of their   
   identity can feel hurt or even threatened by the most well-intentioned and   
   most carefully executed of changes.   
      
   It is clear to me hurting people or the project is not the intention of   
   anyone involved, yet we're all fallible humans. While we should recognize   
   individual limitations, we must remain kind to one another to have a chance   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)