Packager = Programmer?

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 11:43 PM, Frank Murphy (Frankly3d)
<frankly3d at gmail.com> wrote:
> Does trying to become a packager.
> Involve being currently a Developer,
> as in Programming skills\certification,
> whether Perl\Python\c++ etc.

I would put it this way.... there should be an expectation that
packagers are willing to learn programming skills relevant to the
packages they are maintaining.  There's no proficiency level or
anything like that.  But if you aren't interested in learning how to
read and use python..you should probably not maintain a package that
is heavily dependent on python. Those are the sort of personal choices
that can turn the time you gift as a volunteer contribution to Fedora
into a burden instead of having fun doing the work.

I personally do not maintain package for things that are written in
languages I'm not interested in learning how to use. I avoid perl. I
avoid java. I generally have no personal interest in developing or
refining my ability to read or use either(but it seems like I won't be
able to avoid the java trap for long as part of my day job). And as a
result I don't try to maintain packages for either.

I wish I knew how to organize some optional program language specific
skills development sessions aimed at packagers that made sense..but I
don't.  Nothing like a cert or anything like that, but to introduce
packagers and potential packagers to languages just as a good skills
building exercise.

-jef