(debian-policy.info)The maintainer of a package

---

Next: The description of a package Prev: The version of a package Up: Binary packages

---

Enter node , (file) or (file)node

3.3 The maintainer of a package
===============================

Every package must have a maintainer, except for orphaned packages as
described below.  The maintainer may be one person or a group of people
reachable from a common email address, such as a mailing list.  The
maintainer is responsible for maintaining the Debian packaging files,
evaluating and responding appropriately to reported bugs, uploading new
versions of the package (either directly or through a sponsor), ensuring
that the package is placed in the appropriate archive area and included
in Debian releases as appropriate for the stability and utility of the
package, and requesting removal of the package from the Debian
distribution if it is no longer useful or maintainable.

The maintainer must be specified in the ‘Maintainer’ control field with
their correct name and a working email address.  The email address given
in the ‘Maintainer’ control field must accept mail from those role
accounts in Debian used to send automated mails regarding the package.
This includes non-spam mail from the bug-tracking system, all mail from
the Debian archive maintenance software, and other role accounts or
automated processes that are commonly agreed on by the project.  (1) If
one person or team maintains several packages, they should use the same
form of their name and email address in the ‘Maintainer’ fields of those
packages.

The format of the ‘Maintainer’ control field is described in Note:
Maintainer.

If the maintainer of the package is a team of people with a shared email
address, the ‘Uploaders’ control field must be present and must contain
at least one human with their personal email address.  See Note:
Uploaders. for the syntax of that field.

An orphaned package is one with no current maintainer.  Orphaned
packages should have their ‘Maintainer’ control field set to ‘Debian QA
Group <packages@qa.debian.org>’.  These packages are considered
maintained by the Debian project as a whole until someone else
volunteers to take over maintenance.  (2)

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) A sample implementation of such a whitelist written for the
Mailman mailing list management software is used for mailing lists
hosted by ‘https://alioth-lists.debian.net/’.

   (2) The detailed procedure for gracefully orphaning a package can be
found in the Debian Developer’s Reference (see *note Related documents:
11.).