Lars spoke about NMUs on his blog, and especially pointed to DDs that allow 0-Day NMU on their packages.

I really consider this is a good initiative. In fact, I'd really like to see the rules for NMU be changed a bit, there is too many packages that rot in the archive, with trivial bugs to fix since ages (not to mention those that even include the patch to fix them in the bug report).

When I see packages on the BTS like that :

Package: foo; Severity: important; … Tags: patch; 1 year and 14 days old.

with no answer except a vague busyness excuse, no reason why the patch is not included, … it just makes me sick.

I really think we should allow NMU without the "ping the fellow maintainer" part, especially when the package is not co-maintained. NMU should not been seen as an aggression. And if you don't want to be NMU-ed, just work on you packages.


Please note that I understand that one can not always be available for debian, and some packages are not critical. But I don't see the point in such an answer. If you are not available, and that a fellow developper has had some time to fix an annoying or long-standing bug on your package, because he had time for it, and did it keeping his patch as small as possible, be pleased, not offended. And then, take the 10 minutes it should need you to review the patch, and acknowledge it in your next upload.