Bug#1077764: Ruling request on os-release specification implementation

On 06/08/2024 11:22, Luca Boccassi wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Aug 2024 at 11:10, Matthew Vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> On 06/08/2024 10:42, Luca Boccassi wrote:
>>
>>> This is not a hard technical problem with no known solution that we
>>> are asking for design guidance on. This is a trivial technical
>>> problem with a hard social conflict at its core. What we are really
>>> blocked on is that the current owner of os-release refuses to let us
>>> fix it.
>> This is an unfair and inaccurate summary. The policy question of "should
>> testing and unstable be differentiated by os-release" isn't
>> straightforward, and there isn't consensus that the answer should be
>> "yes", as you would like it to be.
> 
> But in what way is it inaccurate?

Your text says (at least as I read it) "the technical problem is easy, 
but the os-release maintainer is preventing us from implementing the 
otherwise-agreed solution". This is an accusation of poor conduct aimed 
at the os-release maintainer.

Given that there is a policy question here that is not straightforward 
(and where there isn't an obvious consensus), this isn't a fair 
accusation to make. People are allowed to disagree with each other in 
Debian, and must be allowed to do so without being accused of acting in 
bad faith.

> And same question as I asked Sean earlier - by "consensus" here, do
> you mean that you want to see more people outside of TC members
> chiming in on the policy question? 

No. TC bugs are not popularity contests. My point is that your paragraph 
I objected to was claiming that the os-release maintainer was stopping 
"us" [presumably meaning Debian] from fixing the bug that os-release 
does not differentiate between testing and unstable.

In fact, you are trying to change Debian's position on the 
differentiation between testing and unstable; the os-release maintainer 
is acting, in effect, to maintain the current RT position. You are 
"blocked" by having not yet persuaded the necessary people (RT at least, 
maybe also the TC) that this change should happen.

To be clear: it's perfectly OK to want to change the project's position 
on this question (even though I don't currently agree with you); it's 
perfectly OK to try and persuade the os-release maintainer to do as you 
wish; it's _not_ OK to accuse the os-release maintainer of bad behaviour 
because they don't agree with you.

Regards,

Matthew