Wheezy Freeze Policy

Changes which can be considered

There are some packages we know we won't approve. So as not to have everyone contact us at once about such packages, here are the guidelines for changes that will be accepting into testing during the freeze:

1. fixes for release critical bugs (i.e., bugs of severity critical, grave, and serious) in all packages;
2. changes for release goals, if they are not invasive;
3. fixes for severity: important bugs in packages of priority: optional or extra, only when this can be done via unstable;
4. translation updates and documentation fixes that are included with fixes for the above criteria.
5. translation updates and documentation fixes;
6. pre-approved fixes;
7. as above, important changes that the maintainer feels are needed before release.

Note that when considering a request for an unblock or freeze exception, the changes between the (proposed) new version of the package in unstable and the version currently in testing are taken in to account - i.e. if there is already a non-migrated version of the package in unstable, the relevant changes are all of those between testing and the new package, not just the incremental changes from the previous unstable upload.

Rules to get your changes into Wheezy

• Rule #1. In all cases, when preparing an upload, please do not make changes to the package that are not related to fixing the bugs in question. As a non-exhaustive list, this implies not:
  • Changing source format
  • Changing patch systems
  • Changing debhelper compat version
  Doing so makes it more time consuming for the release team to review and approve such requests, delaying the release. It also delays the fix for your package, because you will be asked to reupload. Always document every change verbosely in the changelog.
• Rule #2. If in doubt, first contact the release team.
• Rule #3. When contacting the release team, please explain why you are requesting an update. Bug numbers are a must. Attach the proposed (or uploaded) debdiff for the source package - i.e. debdiff $old.dsc $new.dsc. The more we can figure out from your first email and your changelog, the more quickly we can get your update in.
• Rule #4. If your package needs to be updated for Wheezy, and the version in unstable doesn't contain extraneous changes (e.g. the version is the same between testing and unstable), please upload your fix to unstable and contact the release team.
• Rule #5. If the version in unstable already includes significant changes not related to the bug to be fixed, contact the release team about uploading to testing-proposed-updates. Changed dependencies, new upstream versions, changed library names and completely rewriting the packaging are "significant changes". So are lots of other things.
• Rule #6. If the version in unstable won't reach testing because of new library dependencies, contact the release team to discuss uploading to testing-proposed-updates.
• Rule #7. If you have a package that needs a freeze exception, please don't forget to contact us, either by filing an "unblock" bug - reportbug will automatically create an appropriate template - or by mail; bugs are generally preferred for ease of tracking. Don't expect us to find out about it on our own. Putting a comment in the changelog is not contacting the release team. :)
• Rule #8. If your package has been removed recently (i.e. in the last 20 days) due to an RC bug, and you have an bugfix-only update uploaded, you can contact the release team about letting your package back in. Same as above: Do not expect us to find it out ourselves. You need to push that.

Further discussion

As always, it is the release team's goal to get as much good software into Wheezy as possible. However, a freeze does not mean that your package is ensured a spot in the release. Please continue to stay on top of release-critical bugs in packages that you maintain; RC bugs in optional or extra packages that remain unfixed after a week will still be grounds for removal from testing. Please also try and encourage packages you depend on with RC bugs. We'd like to avoid removing lots of packages with dependencies if possible, and your help can be valuable.

Please also note that since many updates (hopefully, the vast majority) will still be going in through unstable, major changes in unstable right now can disrupt efforts to get RC bugs fixed. We don't ask you not to make changes in unstable, but we do ask that you be aware of the effects your changes can have -- especially if you maintain a library. Please continue to keep disruptive changes out of unstable and continue making use of experimental where appropriate. Note that you can stage NEW uploads in experimental to avoid disruption in unstable.

Also, in case you need the release team's help to fix RC bugs (e.g. to remove an old package), please feel free to contact us.

For packages which missed the freeze only for reasons outside of the control of the maintainers, we might be generous, but you need to contact us on your own, and you need to contact us soon.