Improve README.md with project status

[buhtz]

Dear folks,

could you please update the README with a section describing your project organisation and the current status.

I assume this is a one-person-freetime-project. But people need to know.

And the question is if that project is still maintained. The question is if new contributions (e.g. PRs) will be handled.

Or is the project still orphaned?

[buhtz]

Just for information to other readers.

• I tried to contact Mr. Burke (maybe @bufke) and Mr. Roug (maybe @sorenroug), because they are listed as package maintainers on PyPi.
• I also tried to contact the European Environment Agency which is the organization owning that repository.

If the project is really orphaned and there is no active alternative/fork out there I think about involving some more official institutions into that project; e.g. OASIS and/or Document Foundation.

EDIT:
I found an old project page on the official EEA website. Here is the waybay-link. The project is gone from that website and only available via wayback machine.

EDIT2:
There is another odf related python package named ezodf which seems to be orphaned.

EIDT3:
This project seems more active. https://github.com/jdum/odfdo

[bufke]

Hello - many years ago the project was deleted from pypi and the namespace was suddenly available. That would have been a potential exploit vector. Anyone could have claimed to be the project and push any code they want to many projects. After reporting the issue to pypi and receiving no help - I reregistered the app to prevent someone else from abusing it. Then gave sorenroug access back. I have no other affiliation with the project and have never contributed code. I would like my access to be revoked if someone is actively working on this project.

[buhtz]

Dear Mr. Burke,
thanks a lot for your reply.

Yeah PyPi is a "topic". 😈

Do I understand it correct that you have admin rights to PyPi and to that GitHub repo here?

Do you have any details about the European Environment Agency? Are you involved there?

[buhtz]

Please let me add more information's and questions.

As I said I established contact via Email with @sorenroug. I asked him to join this thread/issue but he didn't yet.
He told me he works for the EEA. But the EEA doesn't support "odfpy" officially anymore. Even himself is involved in other new projects and not able to invest more time into "odfpy". That is how I understand it.

I have no information's about if and how @bufke is involved with the EEA. Maybe @bufke can bump @sorenroug into his side and activate him to join that conversation? 😄

Who has admin rights to that repo? Because this are the people we need to talk with.

Are you (the admins) willing to hand over that repo to other persons or minimally invite more people and giving them admin rights?

There is a lot of rumor around with people who are willing to contribute to "odfpy". There is a high need for such a package.
Dear former admins/founders please communicate with us and give us a sign.

IMHO this Issue about adding information's about project/organization status to the top of the README file is very simple and not much time consuming. But even this tiny task is not taken by the current maintainers/admins. That is not a good sign for me.
I'm willing to go the way with a new team and support them. There need to be a team (multiple people) and not only one person. And it is the best not to fork that repo but just hand it over or let more admin-right-people in.

[desmarty]

Please let me add more information's and questions.

As I said I established contact via Email with @sorenroug. I asked him to join this thread/issue but he didn't yet. He told me he works for the EEA. But the EEA doesn't support "odfpy" officially anymore. Even himself is involved in other new projects and not able to invest more time into "odfpy". That is how I understand it.

I have no information's about if and how @bufke is involved with the EEA. Maybe @bufke can bump @sorenroug into his side and activate him to join that conversation? smile

Who has admin rights to that repo? Because this are the people we need to talk with.

Are you (the admins) willing to hand over that repo to other persons or minimally invite more people and giving them admin rights?

There is a lot of rumor around with people who are willing to contribute to "odfpy". There is a high need for such a package. Dear former admins/founders please communicate with us and give us a sign.

IMHO this Issue about adding information's about project/organization status to the top of the README file is very simple and not much time consuming. But even this tiny task is not taken by the current maintainers/admins. That is not a good sign for me. I'm willing to go the way with a new team and support them. There need to be a team (multiple people) and not only one person. And it is the best not to fork that repo but just hand it over or let more admin-right-people in.

Aaa.. Shall I fork it and start a new branch from where it is now?

[desmarty]

Please let me add more information's and questions.

As I said I established contact via Email with @sorenroug. I asked him to join this thread/issue but he didn't yet. He told me he works for the EEA. But the EEA doesn't support "odfpy" officially anymore. Even himself is involved in other new projects and not able to invest more time into "odfpy". That is how I understand it.

I have no information's about if and how @bufke is involved with the EEA. Maybe @bufke can bump @sorenroug into his side and activate him to join that conversation? smile

Who has admin rights to that repo? Because this are the people we need to talk with.

Are you (the admins) willing to hand over that repo to other persons or minimally invite more people and giving them admin rights?

There is a lot of rumor around with people who are willing to contribute to "odfpy". There is a high need for such a package. Dear former admins/founders please communicate with us and give us a sign.

IMHO this Issue about adding information's about project/organization status to the top of the README file is very simple and not much time consuming. But even this tiny task is not taken by the current maintainers/admins. That is not a good sign for me. I'm willing to go the way with a new team and support them. There need to be a team (multiple people) and not only one person. And it is the best not to fork that repo but just hand it over or let more admin-right-people in.

And yes, if this project will continue, I am willing to contribute...

[desmarty]

I tried to update the WIKI and it is open. I will maintain it by putting some more examples there, till the admins wake.

[buhtz]

And it is the best not to fork that repo but just hand it over or let more admin-right-people in.

Aaa.. Shall I fork it and start a new branch from where it is now?

I wouldn't prefer that. Technically it is easier to work on an still existing and known to the world repo. And more important a "friendly hand over" would open the possibility to work together with the former maintainers and take there expertise and experience into account.

[desmarty]

And it is the best not to fork that repo but just hand it over or let more admin-right-people in.

Aaa.. Shall I fork it and start a new branch from where it is now?

I wouldn't prefer that. Technically it is easier to work on an still existing and known to the world repo. And more important a "friendly hand over" would open the possibility to work together with the former maintainers and take there expertise and experience into account.

Yeahh man... I totally agree with this. Lets wait for the maintainers to act.

[buhtz]

It is a bit hard to keep the discussion and information's at one thread. Please let me add new information's here.

"bufke" stated in another Issue that he is not maintainer/admin of "odfpy".

It seems that @sorenroug could have admin rights to that repo but it is not clear. He didn't join the discussion here. I will try to reach him later by Email.

And myself I also have to make clear that I don't can take maintainer ship or admin rights to that repo at this time. I will assist the new maintainer team, discuss and review what ever is needed. I have to much other responsibilities right now.

[buhtz]

From my point of view the discussion about the future of that package doesn't pick up speed.

I repeat myself and say that in the current situation it would be the easiest to add some more persons with admin rights to the project and lets see where the journey goes.

It is best to stay in touch with the former maintainers because they knew the project and its structure. They can counsel new maintainers and contributors until the can completely take over.

I also refreshed my request (initial from 23th December) to the Document Foundation about hosting an odfpy mailing list on their servers.

[Sazu-bit]

If https://github.com/jdum/odfdo does the same things as this one. Then it might be worth everyone swapping over and this one being marked as dead.

Forking should be done by anyone at any time, waiting for maintainers who have no time is like being told by the ship engineer to go to the quarter master and get a long weight.

[buhtz]

Dear @Sazu-bit ,
I don't understand all details of your post.

"jdum/odfdo" seems a bit more fresh then the original "eea/odfpy". Am I right?
Is it activlly maintained and developed? Last commit is from August '22.