resolving debian.ens-cachan.fr

[Sam Trenholme]

>   I'm using maradns 1.2.12.04 (stock debian package on etch) as a
> recursive resolver.

OK, stop right there.  Upgrade MaraDNS now.  The only 1.2 version for
MaraDNS that I support is MaraDNS 1.2.12.08.

Debian has a somewhat silly policy that, once a package is declared
"stable", they will basically not update it unless there is a Bugtraq
security advisory for the package in question. This policy is a good
policy for programs made by pimply-faced 16-year-olds who don't know
how to manage a release cycle nor a bugfix-only branch, but doesn't
make sense for MaraDNS. As I write this, the Debian's "stable" version
of MaraDNS is 1.2.12.04, which is about a year behind in terms of
bugfixes. I, annoyingly enough, get bug reports from Debian users
telling me about bugs I have already fixed in the 1.2 branch of
MaraDNS.

Now, to be fair to Debian, their policies do allow me to backport
bugfixes to the 1.2.12.04 release of MaraDNS, and the patches do get
reviewed by somone else, which minimizes bugfixes introducing new bugs
(Yes, I have done that), but there are not enough volunteers to review
all of the bugfixes I have made since 1.2.12.04. So, Debian users get
stuck with an old, buggy version of MaraDNS. The policy would work if
there were enough volunteers to actually review all of my
post-1.2.12.04 bugfixes, but the people who created the policy did not
take in to account the logistics of volunteer work.

- Sam