linux-kernel - Re: How to improve the quality of the kernel?

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Message-ID: <4675C083.6080409@s5r6.in-berlin.de>
Date:	Mon, 18 Jun 2007 01:15:15 +0200
From:	Stefan Richter <stefanr@...6.in-berlin.de>
To:	Bartlomiej Zolnierkiewicz <bzolnier@...il.com>
CC:	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...sta.de>,
	Michal Piotrowski <michal.k.k.piotrowski@...il.com>,
	Oleg Verych <olecom@...wer.upol.cz>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Andi Kleen <andi@...stfloor.org>,
	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@...k.pl>,
	Diego Calleja <diegocg@...il.com>,
	Chuck Ebbert <cebbert@...hat.com>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: How to improve the quality of the kernel?

Bartlomiej Zolnierkiewicz wrote:
> despite the fact that audit takes
> more time/knowledge then making the patch you will end up with zero credit
> if patch turns out to be (luckily) correct.  Even if you find out issues
> and report them you are still on mercy of author for being credited

If we introduce a "Reviewed-by" with reasonably clear semantics
(different from Signed-off-by; e.g. the reviewer is not a middle-man in
patch forwarding; the reviewer might have had remaining reservations...
very similar to but not entirely the same as "Acked-by" as currently
defined in -mm) --- and also make the already somewhat established
"Tested-by" more official, --- then the maintainers could start to make
it a habit to add Reviewed-by and Tested-by.

Plus, reviewers and testers could formally reply with Reviewed-by and
Tested-by lines to patch postings and even could explicitly ask the
maintainer to add these lines.

> so from personal POV you are much better to wait and fix issues after they
> hit mainline kernel.  You have to choose between being a good citizen and
> preventing kernel regressions or being bastard and getting the credit. ;)
> 
> If you happen to be maintainer of the affected code the choice is similar
> with more pros for letting the patch in especially if you can't afford the
> time to do audit (and by being maintainer you are guaranteed to be heavily
> time constrained).

I don't think that a maintainer (who signs off on patches after all) can
easily afford to take the "bastard approach".  I may be naive.
-- 
Stefan Richter
-=====-=-=== -==- =--=-
http://arcgraph.de/sr/
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