Bits from the DFSG Team: New Dashboard & Queue Processes

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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)

I have been a Debian Developer since 2007. Currently, my technical focus is on maintaining the container ecosystem in Debian (docker.io, podman, and related tools) and working within the Go and Rust packaging teams. Historically, I made substantial contributions to the Multimedia Team, co-maintaining packages like ffmpeg, vlc, and mplayer for many years, and prior to that, I was active in the Debian Games Team. I am looking forward to applying this breadth of experience to modernize our review workflow.


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The DFSG Team

[1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2026/01/msg00008.html
[2] https://www.debian.org/Bugs/server-control#block
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