Re: [PATCH] [Coding Style]: misc fixes for fs/ext{3,4}/acl.{c,h} from checkpatch.pl

Theodore Tso
2008-01-05T00:40:28Z

On Sat, Jan 05, 2008 at 01:12:44AM +0100, Paolo Ciarrocchi wrote:
> Isn't it a timing problem?
> I mean, I guess that codying style fixes are OK if there is a good coordination
> with the maintainer and patches are sent with the right timing in
> order to not cause
> problems in the process.

But because running some kind of mechanical script and fixing up the
problems is relatively mindless, it doesn't *add* anything. Only the
maintainer knows when it is a reasonably convenient time to fix all of
the problems, or when to fix portions of the code that is being
reworked anyway --- and the maintainer can just run the script by
himself, for himself. The patch doesn't actually save him much work,
and in some cases, is actually more work than simply regenerating the
fixes *after* the other patches waiting in his patch queue have been
applied (but of course, it screws up everyone else's patches that
haven't been submitted to the maintainer yet).

In some cases, it's worth it. In other (most) cases, it really isn't.

- Ted