linux-kernel - Re: use of opaque subject lines

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Message-ID: <20150205175715.GA6086@kroah.com>
Date:	Thu, 5 Feb 2015 09:57:15 -0800
From:	Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
To:	"Lad, Prabhakar" <prabhakar.csengg@...il.com>
Cc:	Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk>,
	OSUOSL Drivers <devel@...verdev.osuosl.org>,
	Andreas Dilger <andreas.dilger@...el.com>,
	LKML <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Oleg Drokin <oleg.drokin@...el.com>, HPDD-discuss@...1.01.org,
	Andreas Ruprecht <rupran@...server.de>
Subject: Re: use of opaque subject lines

On Thu, Feb 05, 2015 at 04:57:09PM +0000, Lad, Prabhakar wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 5, 2015 at 4:30 PM, Al Viro <viro@...iv.linux.org.uk> wrote:
> > On Mon, Feb 02, 2015 at 08:13:10PM +0100, Andreas Ruprecht wrote:
> >
> >> On a serious note: I do understand what you're getting at, I don't take
> >> that personally (and I will send a v2 addressing the things above), but
> >> honestly, this kind of answer might just be a real turn-off for other
> >> people trying to get into kernel development...
> >>
> >> I don't want to start a whole new 'attitude in the kernel community'
> >> discussion, but I can't just let this go like that, sorry.
> >
> > Just during the last 12 hours or so, I've seen the following l-k traffic:
> >
> > Subject: [PATCH] usb: host/sl811-hcd: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] usb: gadget: function/f_sourcesink: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] tty: vt/vt: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] bfa: bfa_core: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] xen/acpi-processor: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: initio: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: dc395x: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: eata: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: qla1280: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] scsi: ips: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] fbdev: via/via_clock: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] usb: gadget: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] usb: gadget: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] usb: gadget: function/uvc_v4l2.c: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] xen-netback: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] thermal: int340x: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] vxge: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: Re: [PATCH] xen-netback: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] ixgbe: fix sparse warnings
> > Subject: [PATCH] samsung-laptop: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] x86: thinkpad_acpi.c: fix sparse warning
> > Subject: [PATCH] Sony-laptop: fix sparse warning
> >
> all right I have stopped the script to send any more patches fixing
> sparse warnings !

That's not the point at all {sigh}

The point is, if you are going to do fixes, also provide a valid subject
line too.  Think of the people on the receiving end of your patch, they
are the most valuable and limited resource our community has right now.
You want to make it as _easy_ as possible for them to accept your
contribution.  If you don't provide enough information, or drown them in
redundancy, or crappy patches, they will just get frustrated and drop
them all on the floor.

And _NEVER_ have automated scripts create patches and send them out.  I
only know of ONE person/bot that gets away with this, and you are not
that person, sorry.  It it not a script on the receiving end of your
output, so don't use a script to create a mess for them to dig through.

I want these types of fixes, but make it easy for us to accept them, not
hard, like Al is pointing out in very vivid detail.  To respond to his
heartfelt plea and detailed instructions with a "fine, I'll just go
away!" is disrespectful.

greg k-h
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