Re: [PATCH] update xfs maintainers

Ben Myers
2013-11-09T23:51:34Z

Hey Neil,

On Sat, Nov 09, 2013 at 10:44:24AM +1100, NeilBrown wrote:
> On Sat, 9 Nov 2013 06:59:00 +0800 Zhi Yong Wu <zwu.kernel@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Sat, Nov 9, 2013 at 6:03 AM, Ben Myers <bpm@sgi.com> wrote:
> > > Hey Ric,
> > >
> > > On Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 03:50:21PM -0500, Ric Wheeler wrote:
> > >> On 11/08/2013 03:46 PM, Ben Myers wrote:
> > >> >Hey Christoph,
> > >> >
> > >> >On Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 11:34:24AM -0800, Christoph Hellwig wrote:
> > >> >>On Fri, Nov 08, 2013 at 12:03:37PM -0600, Ben Myers wrote:
> > >> >>>Mark is replacing Alex as my backup because Alex is really busy at
> > >> >>>Linaro and asked to be taken off awhile ago. The holiday season is
> > >> >>>coming up and I fully intend to go off my meds, turn in to Fonzy the
> > >> >>>bear, and eat my hat. I need someone to watch the shop while I'm off
> > >> >>>exploring on Mars. I trust Mark to do that because he is totally
> > >> >>>awesome.
> > >> >>
> > >> >>Doing this as an unilateral decisions is not something that will win you
> > >> >>a fan base.
> > >> >It's posted for review.
> > >> >
> > >> >>While we never had anything reassembling a democracy in Linux Kernel
> > >> >>development making decisions without even contacting the major
> > >> >>contributor is wrong, twice so if the maintainer is a relatively minor
> > >> >>contributor to start with.
> > >> >>
> > >> >>Just because it recent came up elsewhere I'd like to recite the
> > >> >>definition from Trond here again:
> > >> >>
> > >> >> http://lists.linux-foundation.org/pipermail/ksummit-2012-discuss/2012-June/000066.html
> > >> >>
> > >> >>By many of the creative roles enlisted there it's clear that Dave should
> > >> >>be the maintainer. He's been the main contributor and chief architect
> > >> >>for XFS for many year, while the maintainers came and went at the mercy
> > >> >>of SGI. This is not meant to bad mouth either of you as I think you're
> > >> >>doing a reasonably good job compared to other maintainers, but at the
> > >> >>same time the direction is set by other people that have a much longer
> > >> >>involvement with the project, and having them officially in control
> > >> >>would help us forward a lot. It would also avoid having to spend
> > >> >>considerable resources to train every new generation of SGI maintainer.
> > >> >>
> > >> >>Coming to and end I would like to maintain Dave Chinner as the primary
> > >> >>XFS maintainer for all the work he has done as biggest contributor and
> > >> >>architect of XFS since longer than I can remember, and I would love to
> > >> >>retain Ben Myers as a co-maintainer for all the good work he has done
> > >> >>maintaining and reviewing patches since November 2011.
> > >> >I think we're doing a decent job too. So thanks for that much at least. ;)
> > >> >>I would also like to use this post as a public venue to condemn the
> > >> >>unilateral smokey backroom decisions about XFS maintainership that SGI is
> > >> >>trying to enforce on the community.
> > >> >That really didn't happen Christoph. It's not in my tree or in a pull request.
> > >> >
> > >> >Linus, let me know what you want to do. I do think we're doing a fair job over
> > >> >here, and (geez) I'm just trying to add Mark as my backup since Alex is too
> > >> >busy. I know the RH people want more control, and that's understandable, but
> > >> >they really don't need to replace me to get their code in. Ouch.
> > >> >
> > >> >Thanks,
> > >> > Ben
> > >>
> > >> Christoph is not a Red Hat person.
> > >>
> > >> Jeff is from Oracle.
> > >>
> > >> This is not a Red Hat vs SGI thing,
> > >
> > > Sorry if my read on that was wrong.
> > >
> > >> Dave simply has earned the right
> > >> to take on the formal leadership role of maintainer.
> > >
> > > Then we're gonna need some Reviewed-bys. ;)
> > >
> > > From: Ben Myers <bpm@sgi.com>
> > >
> > > xfs: update maintainers
> > >
> > > Add Dave as maintainer of XFS.
> > >
> > > Signed-off-by: Ben Myers <bpm@sgi.com>
> > > ---
> > > MAINTAINERS | 2 +-
> > > 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)
> > >
> > > Index: b/MAINTAINERS
> > > ===================================================================
> > > --- a/MAINTAINERS 2013-11-08 15:20:18.935186245 -0600
> > > +++ b/MAINTAINERS 2013-11-08 15:22:50.685245977 -0600
> > > @@ -9387,8 +9387,8 @@ F: drivers/xen/*swiotlb*
> > >
> > > XFS FILESYSTEM
> > > P: Silicon Graphics Inc
> > > +M: Dave Chinner <dchinner@fromorbit.com>
> > Use his personal private mail account? I guess that you should ask for
> > his opinion at first, or it is more appropriate that he submit this
> > patch by himself.

If y'all don't mind, I'd like to have authored this one. ;)

> Indeed. And does he even want the job? I heard Linus say in a recent
> interview that being a maintainer is a $#!+ job.

I've found that it can be a little bit stressful sometimes and it tends to
crowd out feature work, so I guess I agree with him. It turns out to be an
excellent weight loss plan.

> Is it really best for the
> most active developers to be burdened with that extra work?
>
> (hmm.. maybe I should add Dave to the Cc here .. but no-one else did so best
> leave him alone to code in peace).

Dave, what do you want to do here? Which email? What sort of arrangement? I
gather that you probably do want the job, and I know you'll be fantastic. Do
you want to do it all yourself? Maybe split it up?

Thanks,
Ben