Re: Gentoo Linux copyright / CDDL question

[Robert M. Riches Jr.]

On 2006-10-18, John Hasler <john@dhh.gt.org> wrote:
> Michael writes:
>> If the bug is with a program, the patch should go to the program's
>> developer.  If they are applying the patch to 3rd party programs, then
>> it's basically a fork, a new version of an existing program.
>
> When I receive a bug report on one of my packages with a patch that I think
> should be applied I forward it upstream but I also apply it to the next
> Debian version.  It can take quite a while for upstream to incorporate such
> patches.

John, what distribution are you involved with as a
maintainer or developer?

>> If they are relaying the patch back to the developer, then you don't need
>> Gentoo to do it, since you should be doing it yourself.
>
> You should file your bug report with your distribution and let them forward
> it.  They will know whether the bug is truly in the upstream release or in
> something they have added and will be able to provide more information and
> testing and consolidate multiple reports of the same bug.
>
>> And if a patch is actually useful to a program, it should be folded into
>> the actual program itself.
>
> Yes, but let the distribution forward it.

Not necessarily related to Gentoo copyright assignment
rules, but I'm glad somebody else believes bug reports and
patches should go through the distribution maintainers.
That's how RedHat did it.  However, when I filed a bug
report against Mandriva, I was told _I_ should file a report
against upstream and then wait until the upstream developer
released the fix and the fix was put into the next Mandriva
release.  The Mandriva person didn't want to get involved.

-- 
Robert Riches
spamtrap42@verizon.net
(Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)