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Maintainership

The role of a maintainer is to update package(s) on a regular basis, while following Solus packaging and consistency standards.

Commitment​

Each new package which is going to land in the Solus repository must have one or more maintainers. These individuals commit to:

  • Update the package reasonably regularly, unless there are valid reasons to hold it back
  • Ensure the packaging file adheres to the Solus standards
  • Ensure the application or library is consistent with the Operating System aesthetics, file system conventions and the Solus philosophy in general

On the Solus side however, the community must not forget that maintainers are volunteers, which may or may not have a technical background. More experienced users are to engage new maintainers in a welcoming manner, e.g. by listing their errors and inviting them to fix them. (More on this in the community guidelines)

The Solus Staff have the right to enforce certain practices, even when in contrast with maintainers' vision. It also has the right to ultimately accept or reject a patch.

Stepping in​

To officially step in as the maintainer of a package, a MAINTAINERS.md file must be provided for accepted packages that are not yet included in the repository, or if the package predates the policy of requiring one. Instead, if a previously maintained package is marked by Solus Staff as needing a new maintainer, the MAINTAINERS.md file must be updated.

Updating a maintained package​

The procedure varies depending on whether or not the individual is the maintainer.

Maintainers​

Maintainers are free to update a package at their will, unless otherwise indicated by Solus Staff.

Non-maintainers​

If a package is actively maintained, modifications should not occur and the individual should exercise patience when it comes to updates. In some cases, a maintainer may intentionally be holding back a package, or has simply not updated yet. If pertinent, the individual should file a package update request. Alternatively, the individual can reach the maintainers or Solus Staff via the Solus Packaging room on Matrix and ask permission to update the package. It is also possible to submit an update and attach a message to it clarifying the intention of updating the package, although this is a special case reserved to e.g. security updates.

Template for the MAINTAINERS.md file​

Presented here is the MAINTAINERS.md file. This file must be provided verbatim alongside the other patch contents, and filled in with the maintainers' personal information. A Matrix contact is optional but recommended, while an email address is mandatory. Similar to the .solus/packager file used for packaging, the maintainers listed in MAINTAINERS.md must use their real first and last name(s) for accountability purposes.

The contact information section is a YAML list. If needed, more elements may be added, each per maintainer. Do not edit the file in any other way, including spacing, except Name, Surname and REPLACEME placeholders.

This file is used to indicate primary maintainership for this package. A package may list more than one maintainer to avoid bus factor issues. People on this list may be considered “subject-matter experts”. Please note that Solus Staff may need to perform necessary rebuilds, upgrades, or security fixes as part of the normal maintenance of the Solus package repository. If you believe this package requires an update, follow documentation from https://help.getsol.us/docs/packaging/procedures/request-a-package-update. In the event that this package becomes insufficiently maintained, the Solus Staff reserves the right to request a new maintainer, or deprecate and remove this package from the repository entirely.

- Name Surname
  - Matrix: REPLACEME
  - Email: REPLACEME