Re: about the flood of trivial patches and the Code of Conduct (was: Re: [PATCH 19/25] sched: Use bool function return values of true/false not 1/0)

Joe Perches
2015-04-09T00:04:29Z

On Thu, 2015-04-09 at 01:37 +0200, Rafael J. Wysocki wrote:
> old code is somewhat like an ancient building. Yes, it needs to be
> kept in a good shape, but you won't replace bricks in it just because they are
> old, will you?

No, but you do have to replace/repoint the mortar
as it ages.

Here in SoCal, we also have to do structural work
on UnReinforced Masonry (URM) buildings to avoid
loss of life when the ground moves underneath us.

A small story:

There's a guy a few blocks from me that wants to
open a restaurant in a ~70 year old building. He's
been fighting the city permitting process for over
a year now because he rented a well built, but old,
URM building with double courses of brick walls
that had already had some structural improvements.

http://la.eater.com/2014/3/18/6260975/brixton-restaurant-going-into-the-joker-in-santa-monica

He added some windows where previously windows had
been located but also had been covered and filled-in
with over time. The place had been a dark, smoky
dive bar.

City went into a mode where any change to the
building was unacceptable unless _every_ element
of the building was brought up to new construction
standards.

It's a silly and expensive process for him and an
overall loss for the city because of delays in
creation of a tax-paying business.

Santa Monica, my home town...

Anyway, code isn't a lot like a building.

It's easy to prove that some source code change
doesn't cause a change in object output.

It's not so easy in a physical structure.