From: siretart@debian.org   
      
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   Dear Developers,   
      
   Following our recent delegation [1], the new DFSG, Licensing & New Packages   
   Team is now operational.  That's a bit of a mouthful so we expect people will   
   colloquially shorten it to "DFSG Team" but packages entering Debian *do* have   
   to meet requirements    
   beyond being DFSG free. We are writing to introduce ourselves, outline our   
   immediate goals, and share details about the new tooling we are deploying to   
   improve the NEW queue experience.   
      
   # Goals   
   Our primary and immediate goal is simple: get the queue down.   
      
   We are currently settling in and refining our processes to ensure stability   
   and consistency. While our focus right now is on clearing the backlog, our   
   long-term vision is to enable all Debian Developers to meaningfully contribute   
   to DFSG reviewing    
   activities, distributing the workload and knowledge more effectively across   
   the project.   
      
   # The New Dashboard   
   You may have heard about the new interface we are using. We want to clarify   
   that this represents a fundamental shift in how we prioritize and process   
   packages, rather than just a visual update.   
      
   The dashboard is available here: https://dfsg-new-queue.debian.org/dashboard   
      
   Here is why this matters:   
      
   1. Transparency   
   For the first time, everyone - not just Debian Developers - has a high-level   
   view of exactly what is happening inside the queue. You can now see current   
   open and processed reviews at:   
    https://dfsg-new-queue.debian.org/reviews   
      
   This view exposes what is currently being processed and includes open   
   comments, providing a level of insight into the review process that was   
   previously unavailable.   
      
   2. Sensible Ranking   
   The queue has never been ordered by a single, easily understandable rule. With   
   the new dashboard, we are making the prioritization criteria explicit and   
   predictable, using a set of signals designed to improve overall project health:   
      
   Time in Queue: Older packages still gain priority over time to prevent   
   starvation.   
      
   Popcon Data: We prioritize packages that are already in the archive and have   
   established user bases.   
      
   Blocking Bugs (Actionable): The algorithm awards "bonus points" to packages   
   that unblock other issues. Please ensure you use the blocks server control   
   command correctly [2]-this is your direct and transparent way to influence   
   your package's priority. If    
   the BTS knows your upload unblocks another bug, our dashboard will know it too.   
      
   3. Lowering the Barrier to Entry   
   By modernizing the tooling and making the state of the queue visible, this   
   platform makes it easier for newcomers to understand the process and get   
   involved in reviewing in the future.   
      
   # Acknowledgements & Collaboration   
   This work would not be possible without the support of the Archive Operations   
   and DSA teams.   
      
   A big thanks to Joerg Jaspert (Ganneff) for implementing the mechanism that   
   Ansgar and he designed to sync relevant queue information to our new host. We   
   are deeply grateful for this collaboration and look forward to working even   
   closer with the Archive    
   Operations Team; any suggestions and opportunities to learn from their   
   experience are more than welcome!   
      
   We also want to thank the DSA team, particularly Adam and Tollef, for   
   providing the infrastructure and VM that hosts the dashboard. We are grateful   
   for the support that got us to this point.   
      
   # Call for Participation   
   We are currently in a "settling in" phase. While we are not yet opening the   
   floodgates for general package reviews, we welcome your feedback and   
   contributions to the tooling itself.   
      
   Chat: You can reach us in #debian-dfsg on IRC and Matrix (we prefer Matrix,   
   but the channels are bridged).   
      
   Code & Issues: Merge requests and issue reports for the dashboard and tooling   
   are very welcome at: https://salsa.debian.org/dfsg-team/dfsg-new-queue   
      
   # Who We Are   
      
   ### Andrew McMillan "karora" (awm)   
      
   I've been working with Debian since the late '90s, becoming a DD a few years   
   later. I been a software developer   
   for over 45 years and started a couple of New Zealand companies focused on   
   Open Source.  Life interrupted in 2012,   
   and I had to reduce my involvement until "retiring" at the beginning of 2025   
   which enabled me to travel to DebConf in Brest and reconnect with the   
   community, reinforcing my desire to get back involved.   
      
   My main focus with this team is building the dashboard to support our reviews,   
   streamline our work, and provide the transparency Debian is known for.   
      
   ### Emmanuel Arias (eamanu)   
      
   I have been a Debian Developer since 2023. I started contributing to Debian in   
   the Debian Python Team, where I'm still active there. Also, I made some   
   contributions to Debian Rust Team, Debian Med Team, Salvage Team, Salsa-CI.   
   Also, I like to use part of    
   my day to sponsor packages. My goal for next years is help more people join   
   Debian.   
      
      
   ### Nicolas Mora (babelouest)   
      
   I'm a Debian Developer since 2020, I entered the project via the IOT and   
   Javascript team to package programs and libraries mostly in C or javascript. I   
   also participated in Google Summer of Code as a mentor on an early project to   
   add a Single Sign-On in    
   Debian services.   
      
   I entered the dfsg team to help improve the new packages workflow.   
      
   ### Mechtilde Stehmann (mechtilde)   
      
   I have been a Debian developer since 2017. In 2013, I started maintaining   
   Debian packages. At the same time, I began documenting everything necessary   
   for this task. One of my main areas of focus is license compliance, especially   
   in free software. I have    
   been working on this topic in various capacities since 2005. I am interested   
   in software that people use for their professional work in the office   
   environment. I would also like to apply this experience to the release process.   
      
   ### Reinhard Tartler (siretart)   
      
      
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