linux-kernel - Re: [Ksummit-2008-discuss] Fixing the Kernel Janitors project

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Date:	Wed, 28 May 2008 17:35:27 -0500
From:	James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...senPartnership.com>
To:	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>
Cc:	Pekka Enberg <penberg@...helsinki.fi>,
	ksummit-2008-discuss@...ts.linux-foundation.org,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [Ksummit-2008-discuss] Fixing the Kernel Janitors project

On Thu, 2008-05-29 at 01:18 +0300, David Woodhouse wrote:
> On Wed, 2008-05-28 at 16:42 -0500, James Bottomley wrote:
> > Appeals to be politer tend to only work in the short term (having given
> > quite a few of them).  I think we're developing a root cause problem in
> > the way we recruit people to work in the kernel and we have to think
> > about fixing it there.
> 
> Do we really have a problem recruiting people to work in the kernel? On
> what do you base that observation?

Yes, the median age of the MAINTAINERS is rising.  Not quite at the rate
of a year per year which would show we have practically no turn over,
but it is rising.

However, even if there were no recruitment problem at all, getting more
people involved is always better because it means more contributions.
And contributions (useful ones) are the lifeblood that moves the kernel
forwards.

> On a similar note, do we have any real data on the question of whether
> those who are volunteering the patches which raise so much ire would
> _ever_ become productive members of the team, even if we were to nurture
> them properly?

I don't think so.  But that's not really what I'm saying.  I'm saying we
need to make the process of encouraging useful contributors more
streamlined (as in less aggro on the mailing list).  If that involves
cutting out the less useful ones earlier, so be it.  If we can come up
with a better conversion process, that's great too.  I want to start the
discussion, not necessarily prescribe the solution.

James

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