Re: [patch 14/25] SCSI: use irq_handler_t where appropriate

[Jeff Garzik <jeff@garzik.org>]

James Bottomley wrote:
> SCSI is a slightly different subsystem from almost any other in the
> kernel.  It has something like 15 active driver maintainers plus at
> least another 15-25 periodically active ones.  Most (but not all) driver
> maintainers are employed by the company who produces the board/chip and
> tend to be overloaded with a lot of non-linux work.  Requiring acks for
> maintained drivers is a courtesy to make sure we don't get maintainers
> spending time trying to resolve conflicts.  I'm not mandating any
> particular method of getting acks, just noting that cc'ing maintainers
> and having specific subject lines mentioning the driver is a reasonable
> way of getting them to notice.


Linux has never worked that way.  We always have a stream of patches 
that are multi-subsystem cleanups and the like.  Blocking these patches 
for months at a time because individual driver maintainers are off doing 
non-Linux work is just not realistic.

The system is broken, from where I sit.  In pretty much every other 
subsystem in the kernel, the subsystem maintainer makes sure patches 
don't get stuck in limbo for months.

	Jeff