Re: Gitlab Migration

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Arthur Miller <arthur.miller@live.com>
> Cc: dgutov@yandex.ru,  philipk@posteo.net,  danflscr@gmail.com,
>   larsi@gnus.org,  emacs-devel@gnu.org
> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2021 03:51:40 +0200
> 
> >> and debbugs package for browsing bugs directly from Emacs?
> >
> > The debbugs package has several non-trivial dependencies, like email,
> > and is probably not the first or the second thing newcomers should be
> > messing with.
> 
> Maybe, but if somoeone is developer who would like to send in patch to Emacs
> than they can probably setup email? Newcomer to Emacs dev, does not mean
> newcomer to computing.

The main purpose of the Emacs debbugs package is not to send patches.
Sending patches when you have email set up is trivial and doesn't need
the debbugs package.

> What about automating it for them?
> 
> Is this too wild: when someone signs FSF copyrights assignement, create
> automatic "development mail account", which will work only to send and recieve
> emails between certain addresses, the person and those used for Emacs
> devs? We could then write a small pacakge to auto-setup persons account in
> his/her Emacs that would work for bug repporting, debbugs, sending patches 
> etc.
> 
> Limitiation because I guess FSF/GNU does not have resources to host free email
> accounts for everyone.

You mean, set up email account on GNU servers?  That's problematic in
more than one sense, some of which you mention above.

And what would be the advantages?

> We could then abstract parts of PR based worklfow on top of email.

For people who are familiar with, and used to, the PR workflow using
Web forms, I don't think this would be an advantage.  The main purpose
of moving to a service we are discussing is to provide a familiar UI
to those contributors, with a special emphasis on occasional
contributors who don't have time, or don't want, to learn a new UI
just to contribute to Emacs.