[gentoo-dev] changing packages you do not maintain

[William Hubbs]

All,

gentoo policy states that if you want to make a change to a package, but
you find that it is maintained by someone else, you are supposed to
contact them and give them a reasonable chance to reply before you
change the packages they maintain unless you have a different
arrangement with them or you are one of the herd maintainers for the
package.

The exceptions to this that I know about would be things like a
developer being on devaway or some sort of tree-wide change that affects
the package in question. But, tree-wide changes are usually
announced here anyway, so those are different.

I am concerned because lately I have seen several packages I maintain
being touched without this attempt to contact me.

It isn't that I mind the help, I just like to know when something is
about to be changed with packages I work on and why.

Could everyone please bear this in mind when dealing with packages you
do not maintain?

Thanks much,

William