This is a good, levelheaded response. But it makes it seem as if the process of becoming a sponsored maintainer was straightforward.<p>It's not.<p>A number of months ago, I tried getting trimage (a gui image optimizer, <a href="http://trimage.org" rel="nofollow">http://trimage.org</a>) into debian. Since I already had a working Ubuntu PPA, I figured it wouldn't be too hard. Packaging instructions for debian are available at various official websites, but contradictionary and they all seem to presume you have packaged for Debian before. Jargon like RFP (request for packaging) and ITP (intent to package) is thrown around frequently without explanation.<p>Luckily, there is debian-mentors, meant to help upstream developers with becoming a sponsored maintainer. Most of the debian-mentors site links to outdated packaging instructions, using which will mean you will be ridiculed on the way-too-hostile mailinglist. Trying to do 'the right thing' is almost impossible, as most of the feedback will depend on the personal opinion of the person responding. I suspect this is because they, too, don't know which packaging instructions to use or point to.<p>Trying to get my application into debian has been nothing but a massive, timesinking frustration, and I wish that wasn't the case.