Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 0/5] CODING_STYLE amendments

[Jes Sorensen <Jes.Sorensen@redhat.com>]

On 08/21/10 16:03, Blue Swirl wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 21, 2010 at 12:24 PM, Markus Armbruster <armbru@redhat.com> wrote:
>> Could be "fun" for developers using Windows.  If they exist.
> 
> At least OCaml site offers binary download for Windows. I didn't
> compile Coccinelle myself, so I don't know how much that helps.

I know nothing about Coccinelle, but I did find that yum knew where to
get it. However, that said, I think we should try to avoid depending on
exotic tools that may not exist on OSes which may be used by developers.
What about OSX?

>>>> Even a working patch checking tool can only address the last issue
>>>> (haphazard enforcement), not the other ones.  You may not care.
>>>
>>> Which other ones?
>>
>> Quoting myself:
>>
>>    [...]                                       the current CODING_STYLE is
>>    idiosyncratic,
> 
> Personal preference. I liked Fabrice's style but I also like current
> style. I would probably like Linux style except for the LISPisms. I
> don't like GNU or Java style.

My favorite quote from the Linux kernel coding style:
"First off, I'd suggest printing out a copy of the GNU coding standards,
and NOT read it.  Burn them, it's a great symbolic gesture." :)

>> While wasting time for historical reasons is certainly better than
>> wasting time for the heck of it, it's arguably worse than stopping the
>> waste.
> 
> But how would you do that? Drop the CODING_STYLE (and accept
> anything)? Switch to a new CODING_STYLE that is widely appreciated and
> so all bikeshedding will cease? Enforce current style?

I would suggest we either clean up the existing rule, or switch to the
Linux kernel style, with the explicit exemption that existing code can
keep the 4-char indentation, unless the whole file is converted. I'd
like to avoid a total reformatting of the codebase, but we could look at
it on a file by file base if it becomes relevant.

Regards,
Jes