Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Alan Stern]

On Thu, 16 Aug 2007, Rene Herman wrote:

> > It would be much easier to put in the "kernel/somesubsys" directory a 
> > Maintainers file which has:
> 
> It's ofcourse possible, but note that if we want this stuff to be minimally 
> manual, moving files around (and deleting them) then requires editing these 
> actual in-tree files via a tool.
> 
> With the properties deleting files just requires deleting any file-specific 
> properties alongside which is trivial since those are linked from the file.
> 
> Moving stuff works by building a list of all properties that are set on the 
> source starting at the source and destination's highest shared parent 
> directory and then reconstructing this list at the destination, striking 
> properties off the list that are already set at the destination.
> 
> Adding properties, alongside added files or after the fact, could be done 
> via standard patch submissals via the kind of "meta-diff" that already 
> exists for "git move".
> 
> I really believe this stuff should be meta-data -- and these properties as 
> outlined work well it seems.

Please remember that not everybody uses git.  The MAINTAINERS data 
should be available in the kernel source itself.

(Maybe your suggestion is consistent with this -- I simply wanted to 
raise the point.)

Alan Stern

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Rene Herman]

On 08/16/2007 05:31 PM, Alan Stern wrote:

> Please remember that not everybody uses git.  The MAINTAINERS data 
> should be available in the kernel source itself.

It may be useful to generate a MAINTAINERS file into releases yes.

I must say though that "why?" would also be a question. I personally don't 
think there's a whole lot wrong with more and more expecting people who 
submit patches (for whom this automation is intended) to be using git. Back 
in the BK days there were lots of reasons for resisting any and all 
dependency on the source code management tool but there don't seem to be too 
many left today as far as I'm concerned.

If it's about non-developer users, I suspect it would to a fairly large 
degree be an "in theory" thing to expect that said user does want the 
information in a downloaded releases, but not in git, and not online where 
git-web could also easily display all the information right alongside the files.

But yes, sure, anything can be generated...

Rene.

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Stefan Richter]

Rene Herman wrote:
> I personally don't think there's a whole lot wrong with more and more
> expecting people who submit patches (for whom this automation is
> intended) to be using git.

You mean "people who frequently submit patches for various different
subsystems".
-- 
Stefan Richter
-=====-=-=== =--- =----
http://arcgraph.de/sr/

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Rene Herman]

On 08/16/2007 11:39 PM, Stefan Richter wrote:
> Rene Herman wrote:

>> I personally don't think there's a whole lot wrong with more and more
>> expecting people who submit patches (for whom this automation is
>> intended) to be using git.
> 
> You mean "people who frequently submit patches for various different
> subsystems".

Erm, I guess. Is that agreeing or disagreeing with me?

Rene.

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Alan Stern]

On Fri, 17 Aug 2007, Rene Herman wrote:

> On 08/16/2007 11:39 PM, Stefan Richter wrote:
> > Rene Herman wrote:
> 
> >> I personally don't think there's a whole lot wrong with more and more
> >> expecting people who submit patches (for whom this automation is
> >> intended) to be using git.
> > 
> > You mean "people who frequently submit patches for various different
> > subsystems".
> 
> Erm, I guess. Is that agreeing or disagreeing with me?

Don't forget also that the MAINTAINERS information is (or should be!)
used by people who want to submit bug reports, not just by people who
submit patches.  Bug reporters shouldn't need to use Git.

Alan Stern

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Rene Herman]

On 08/17/2007 03:58 AM, Alan Stern wrote:

> On Fri, 17 Aug 2007, Rene Herman wrote:
> 
>> On 08/16/2007 11:39 PM, Stefan Richter wrote:
>>> Rene Herman wrote:

>>>> I personally don't think there's a whole lot wrong with more and 
>>>> more expecting people who submit patches (for whom this automation 
>>>> is intended) to be using git.
>>> 
>>> You mean "people who frequently submit patches for various different
>>> subsystems".
>> 
>> Erm, I guess. Is that agreeing or disagreeing with me?
> 
> Don't forget also that the MAINTAINERS information is (or should be!)
> used by people who want to submit bug reports, not just by people who
> submit patches.  Bug reporters shouldn't need to use Git.

Like I said:

>> If it's about non-developer users, I suspect it would to a fairly large
>> degree be an "in theory" thing to expect that said user does want the
>> information in a downloaded releases, but not in git, and not online 
>> where git-web could also easily display all the information right 
>> alongside the files.

And again, generating the MAINTAINERS file/info into releases is fine as well.

Rene.

Re: Re: Storing Maintainers info around the kernel tree

[Stefan Richter]

Rene Herman wrote:
> On 08/17/2007 03:58 AM, Alan Stern wrote:
> 
>> On Fri, 17 Aug 2007, Rene Herman wrote:
>>
>>> On 08/16/2007 11:39 PM, Stefan Richter wrote:
>>>> Rene Herman wrote:
> 
>>>>> I personally don't think there's a whole lot wrong with more and
>>>>> more expecting people who submit patches (for whom this automation
>>>>> is intended) to be using git.
>>>>
>>>> You mean "people who frequently submit patches for various different
>>>> subsystems".
>>>
>>> Erm, I guess. Is that agreeing or disagreeing with me?
>>
>> Don't forget also that the MAINTAINERS information is (or should be!)
>> used by people who want to submit bug reports, not just by people who
>> submit patches.  Bug reporters shouldn't need to use Git.

Yes, problem reporters and people who infrequently (or for their first
time) submit patches, and even people who frequently submit patches but
most of the time only to the same one or two subsystems need an obvious,
tool-independent way to get contact information.

> Like I said:
> 
>>> If it's about non-developer users, I suspect it would to a fairly large
>>> degree be an "in theory" thing to expect that said user does want the
>>> information in a downloaded releases, but not in git, and not online
>>> where git-web could also easily display all the information right
>>> alongside the files.
> 
> And again, generating the MAINTAINERS file/info into releases is fine as
> well.

Good.  This generated data will be used by almost everyone except for a
certain special group of submitters.
-- 
Stefan Richter
-=====-=-=== =--- =---=
http://arcgraph.de/sr/