Arch Linux

Vryali

Member

From: Columbia, SC

Registered: 2008-09-17

Posts: 21

[SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

Two questions:

1) It's been a year since any updates were done on the package I needed to install today, and I mistakenly assumed that because it had been flagged out-of-date I'd be able to adopt it after I cleaned things up and rebuilt it.  I just sent the current owner a message asking him to disown the package so I could adopt it, but I was curious what the SOP for taking over out-of-date packages that haven't been disowned (they might not respond, and it'd be relevant to know what further steps I need to take regardless).

2) I remember reading somewhere that it took 10 or 20 votes to get a package from the AUR to community, but the package I was working with had well over that.  What exactly is the current procedure that allows a package to graduate from the AUR to community?

Cheers,

~Vry

Last edited by Vryali (2011-11-04 19:22:40)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

1. Flag it out of date (if not done already), e-mail the owner and wait 2 weeks. If you get no response, post to the ML telling them you've e-mailed the guy 2 weeks ago, got no response and you want to maintain the package.
2. A TU or a dev has to maintain it in the official repo. If no one wants to maintain it, it stays in the AUR. Not every package can go to the repos (license issues etc.).

Vryali

Member

From: Columbia, SC

Registered: 2008-09-17

Posts: 21

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

Thanks; marking thread as solved

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

I'd just like to add:
There is little point in talking about "the package I needed" or "the package I was working with" - be specific, name the package, so everyone knows what you're talking about.

Vryali

Member

From: Columbia, SC

Registered: 2008-09-17

Posts: 21

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

I didn't want to be potentially affrontory toward the current listed maintainer, who has only had a day at this point to get back to me (nor does it seem the specific package has any actual relevance since the questions were mainly procedural).

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

I didn't want to be potentially affrontory toward the current listed maintainer, who has only had a day at this point to get back to me (nor does it seem the specific package has any actual relevance since the questions were mainly procedural).

That's what I thought :-) I too wanted to ask you which package exactly you had in mind, but as the rules apply to all of them, I think it's not strictly necessary.
Talking about some loosely-defined hypothetical situation makes me uneasy because there may be some gotchas or special cases involved, so it's best to be as specific as possible (but you probably know that).

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: [SOLVED] Adopting an out-of-date package

I didn't want to be potentially affrontory toward the current listed maintainer, who has only had a day at this point to get back to me.

Well, OK. OTOH he/she has also had a year to update the package, and I would regard their failure to do so as the greater offense here. Just my €0.02 though, do what feels right.