[Pkg-javascript-devel] Javascript team policy and rejection of node-three binary package

[Ian Jackson]

Sean Whitton writes ("Re: Javascript team policy and rejection of node-three binary package"):
> On Fri, Mar 02 2018, Pirate Praveen wrote:
> > I think the policy is good and request debian policy team to endorse
> > it.

Thanks for bringing this up, here.  FAOD, my primary intent in
suggesting you do so was to get technicaly input from the denizens of
d-policy, who have a lot of useful expertise.

> The way forward is to add the JavaScript policy to the debian-policy
> package.  It would not be wise to add a single requirement to our
> document, with the rest of the JavaScript policy maintained elsewhere.

I agree that importing a single rule from the Javascript policy into
the debian-policy package is not sensible.  But there are is a lot of
precedent for policy documents being maintained outside debian-policy.
For example, the DEP-8 spec for debian/tests/control is in the
autopkgtest package.

Many language-specific packaging teams have language-specific
policies.  These are usually shipped in some core dev support package
for the policy in question.  So far it has not been necessary to
formally reference the Perl policy (say) from the debian-policy
package.  But I don't see any reason why debian-policy could not
formally refer to the Javascript policy.

I do think that the Javascript policy has to be not in a wiki page.
We can't have normative references from debian-policy to wiki pages.

Pirate, is there some Debian-specific Javascript dev infrastructure
package that could host this document ?

> If you want to go ahead and do this, please file a bug against
> debian-policy, with a patch that adds the JavaScript policy to our repo.
> (There wouldn't be much point in filing such a bug without a patch.)

Moving the Javascript policy to the debian-policy package might be
nice, but I don't think it needs to be on the critical path for
finalising and formally blessing the policy.

There are also reasons why it might not be a good idea.  Other
programming languages find it easier to maintain their
language-specific policies outside both the debian-policy package and
the policy mailing list.

On the third had, Javascript seems to face unusual challenges and may
need more support and intervention from our core policy team.

Thanks,
Ian.

-- 
Ian Jackson <ijackson at chiark.greenend.org.uk>   These opinions are my own.

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