Re: [PATCH v3 06/13] docs/devel: simplify the minimal checklist

["Daniel P. Berrangé" <berrange@redhat.com>]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2023 at 11:08:15AM +0100, Alex Bennée wrote:
> 
> Philippe Mathieu-Daudé <philmd@linaro.org> writes:
> 
> > Ping?
> >
> > On 5/7/23 13:44, Philippe Mathieu-Daudé wrote:
> >> Hi Alex,
> >> On 17/11/22 18:25, Alex Bennée wrote:
> >>> The bullet points are quite long and contain process tips. Move those
> >>> bits of the bullet to the relevant sections and link to them. Use a
> >>> table for nicer formatting of the checklist.
> >>>
> >>> Signed-off-by: Alex Bennée <alex.bennee@linaro.org>
> >>> Reviewed-by: Stefan Hajnoczi <stefanha@redhat.com>
> >>> Reviewed-by: Paolo Bonzini <pbonzini@redhat.com>
> >>> Message-Id: <20221111145529.4020801-8-alex.bennee@linaro.org>
> >>> ---
> >>>   docs/devel/submitting-a-patch.rst | 75 ++++++++++++++++++++-----------
> >>>   1 file changed, 49 insertions(+), 26 deletions(-)
> >> 
> >>> @@ -314,10 +320,12 @@ git repository to fetch the original commit.
> >>>   Patch emails must include a ``Signed-off-by:`` line
> >>>   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >>> -For more information see `SubmittingPatches 1.12
> >>> -<http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/Documentation/SubmittingPatches?id=f6f94e2ab1b33f0082ac22d71f66385a60d8157f#n297>`__.
> >>> -This is vital or we will not be able to apply your patch! Please use
> >>> -your real name to sign a patch (not an alias or acronym).
> >> Revisiting this patch, asking for some real name instead of alias
> >> was at least helpful during patch review, we could address the
> >> contributor by its name. Addressing an acronym is socially weird
> >> (at least in my culture netiquette).
> 
> Is it that weird? We use nicks all the time on IRC.
> 
> The only driver for real names for the signoff is its harder to have
> confidence the contribution is valid because you might not be able to
> find who is behind an anonymous nick if something comes up later.

The Signed-off-by is intended as a legal attestation of permission
to contribute. Having the signoff use an obviously anonymous nick
could be said to undermine the legal value of the Signed-off-by.

That's not to say something that /looks/ like a real name is
actually the persons real name - we can't prove that without ID
checks which we're not going to do.

Something that looks like a real name is at least plausible to
accept as a persons' real world identity, where as a nick is
clearly just an online persona where there is an explicit intent
to hide the real identify. This kind of distinction / intent often
matters in the legal arena.

With regards,
Daniel
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