Re: [workflows]RFC: switching "THE REST" in MAINTAINERS away from linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org

Jason Gunthorpe
2023-11-09T23:16:35Z

On Thu, Nov 09, 2023 at 02:38:58PM -0500, Konstantin Ryabitsev wrote:
> On Thu, Nov 09, 2023 at 11:11:08AM -0800, Joe Perches wrote:
> > > > My input is that whatever the outcome of all this discussion, please
> > > > define it as policy and have get_maintainer.pl implement it. I don't
> > > > want to have to think too hard about who *should* be included (beyond
> > > > people I already know).
> > >
> > > Yes, I fully agree with you -- people shouldn't need to know where the patches
> > > should be going. The tooling should decide this for them, and I want to change
> > > the tooling so that it no longer includes linux-kernel@vger on everything,
> > > only on patches without any other mailing list matches.
> >
> > Relatively easy to do, but what about your original request/suggestion
> > to use patches@lists.linux.dev ?
>
> Happy to go that route, just need to get the buy-in from everyone, which I
> intend to bring up at the maintainers summit. My proposed course of action
> is:
>
> 1. Update get_maintainer.pl so that linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org is no longer
> added on "THE REST" fall-through, unless there are no other L: entries that
> matched.
> 2. Add functionality to public-inbox to provide RSS feeds for "new topics" and
> "hot topics" that would allow following individual lists and the /all/
> aggregator. This is under discussion on the public-inbox meta list [1], so
> there is no final decision on this being included.
> 3. Figure out the best way to specify the "always-cc" address that should be
> always included by get_maintainer, either via MAINTAINERS, or via some kind
> of dot-file. Maybe just have this in MAINTAINERS:
>
> ALWAYS CC
> L: patches@lists.linux.dev

Is it possible you could do this on the backend and automatically
route all patches send to any mailing list to this list?

> I think this should gradually improve the linux-kernel mailing list to the
> point where most people will start reading it again.

From what I understood of this discussion the people who were using it
actually did seem to want the entire firehose of email? Removing
traffic from linux-kernel seems like the opposite of that?

How about getting people to move to an actual fire hose and then
scaling back linux-kernel until it can be retired? You were talking
about a flexible POP3 service or something...

Personally I've been using lei along with the "dfn" search. It seems
to work OK. Though lei itself is a bit of a bear.

It would be neat to be able to get some more targetted things like a
query that matches all pull request to Linus, for instance. That would
be an interesting virtual mailing list to read to keep aware of
things.

I don't know if it has been said enough but the entire lore
infrastructure has been very transformative for how, at least I,
work. It is fantastic having a reliable and robust archive.

Jason