linux-kernel - Re: [Ksummit-2013-discuss] KS Topic request: Handling the Stable kernel, let's dump the cc: stable tag

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Date:	Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:08:58 -0400
From:	"John W. Linville" <linville@...driver.com>
To:	James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...senPartnership.com>
Cc:	Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>,
	ksummit-2013-discuss@...ts.linuxfoundation.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, stable@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [Ksummit-2013-discuss] KS Topic request: Handling the Stable
 kernel, let's dump the cc: stable tag

On Tue, Jul 16, 2013 at 11:43:36AM +0400, James Bottomley wrote:
> On Mon, 2013-07-15 at 23:20 -0700, Greg KH wrote:
> 
> > I think the real stable issue that _everyone_ keeps ignoring, is my
> > original complaint, in that people are using the -rc1 merge window to
> > get fixes in they should have sent to Linus for .0.
> 
> You mean we delay fixes to the merge window (tagged for stable) because
> we can't get them into Linus' tree at -rc5 on?  Guilty ... that's
> because the friction for getting stuff in rises.  It's a big fight to
> get something marginal in after -rc5 ... it's easy to silently tag it
> for stable (did I mention that I think the tag part enables this
> behaviour?).

I'll just chime-in here and agree that I have delayed minor fixes,
preventing them from being merged during an -rc6 or -rc7 but tagging
them for -stable.  It has long been 'tradition' (at least in the
networking space) that fixes so late in the cycle should tend to be
really small (i.e. "one-liners") and/or really, really, important.
In other words, they need to avoid potentially delaying a release
unless they are absolutely necessary.

Fixes merged early in the next release cycle at least have a fighting
chance of getting some testing before getting into the hands of the
unwashed masses.  If they have problems in 3.<previous>.1 then they
can still be reverted in -stable, but they can never be removed from
the .0 release -- does this matter?  I'm not sure.  Is having a flood
of fixes in x.y.1 any worse than having to got to an -rc8 or an -rc9?

John
-- 
John W. Linville		Someday the world will need a hero, and you
linville@...driver.com			might be all we have.  Be ready.
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