use Perl

So, just to keep people updated:

After getting suggestions from people on who to contact, I've sent emails to people in Fotango's parent company. They've responded positively, but said that people needed to make the final decision are on holiday until at least the end of the month.

Given that prompt response it seems the prudent thing to do now is wait for them to get back, thus sidestepping the need for any further debate over the right course of action.

Thanks again for everyone's help in this matter.

I am that fateful ex-employee that Alias is describing. For the record, I didn't ask to take over FOTANGO, but said that I'd like to take over the modules, and I'm up for whatever's the easiest way to do that, giving me access back to the fotango account, changing the email address, or just giving me co-maint on the modules.

To quote Gross Pointe Blank (mainly because I like quoting Gross Pointe Blank, rather than for any real reason)

Martin: Whole grain pancakes and an egg-white omelette, please.
Waitress: What would you like in your omelette?
Martin: Nothing in the omelette. Nothing at all.
Waitress: Well, that's not technically an omelette.
Martin: Look, I don't want to get into a semantic argument about it, I just want the protein, all right?

To add context of why the FOTANGO company account was set up, it was a reaction to the opposite problem we had: Employees are short lived too. Traditionally Fotango let people release modules on their own accounts. But then we had a case of someone leaving the company and then going unresponsive to patches to a module they originally developed for the company that the company was still developing.

I guess you're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.

I'd suggest for all future people doing this that they give co-maint rights to all the authors. That still leaves the question of how to change primary owner rights; Some sort of dead man's handle where co-maints can take over primary ownership? A bigger issue than I need to address today.

Still, the thing about making omelets is that you have to break a few eggs (groan.)