[Buildroot] More maintainers

[Adam Duskett <aduskett@gmail.com>]

All;

On Sat, Aug 29, 2020 at 2:50 AM Yann E. MORIN <yann.morin.1998@free.fr> wrote:
>
> Thomas, Adam. Angelo, All,
>
> On 2020-08-27 22:39 +0200, Thomas Petazzoni spake thusly:
> > On Thu, 27 Aug 2020 10:34:31 -0700
> > Adam Duskett <aduskett@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Angelo and I were discussing the state of patches today in regards to Buildroot.
> > > It seems like the project could benefit from a few more maintainers of
> > > the project.
> > > We both understand that this is a volunteer project and that we are
> > > all adults and have a life outside of the project, and as such, we
> > > can't expect instant reviews on every submitted patch. However, as the
> > > project continues to grow in popularity, more patches will continue to
> > > be offered at an ever-increasing rate. This popularity increase is
> > > excellent news for the project, but also comes at the cost of more
> > > time and effort in regards to the number of patches and fixes in the
> > > queue to review and test.
> > >
> > > As such, we would both like to throw our hat in the ring to help
> > > maintain the project. We both don't have all the time in the world,
> > > but any amount of help on the project can help alleviate the primary
> > > maintainers.
> >
> > I agree that we probably need to extend or change the current
> > maintainers team.
> >
> > However, what is also true is that very little patches that are posted
> > get review from other contributors. And this is actually what is the
> > most important. When I see a patch series that has been looked at by 1
> > or 2 other people that I trust and who gave their Reviewed-by, I will
> > apply such a patch series very easily, without almost looking at it.
> >
> > You can go have a look at
> > https://patchwork.ozlabs.org/project/buildroot/list/ and see how many
> > patches in the list have a Reviewed-by tag. Very few. This is
> > definitely something where everybody can help, and it is by doing such
> > reviews that the trust will increase with the current maintainers,
> > which is key for becoming a maintainer IMO.
> >
> > What do you think ?
>
> I do agree with all of this, both the remarks from Adam and Angelo, and
> the feedback from Thomas.
>
> The burden is not in applying patches; this is the easy part.
>
> What really takes time is actually reviewing patches: understanding the
> problem, understanding how it is fixed, why it is fixed in such a way,
> and seeing how it fits in the overall big-picture across the whole
> project.
I have seen many patches reviewed by not only myself but other's for months.
If the current maintainers want to have the last word, then there is
no incentive for
non-maintainers to review patches, as it is seen as a waste of time.

I apologize for wasting your time.

Adam
>
> Then, requesting changes also takes time: explaining what has to be
> changed, why it has to be changed, and how it has to be changed also
> takes time.
>
> So, I would also like to emphasize that contributing is not only about
> sending patches; it is also about reviewing and testing the patches of
> others, and such contributions are dearly needed.
>
> When a patch is technically ready, the review can range from the laconic
> "reviewed-by", which means just that, up to complementing the commit log
> with additional details and explanations, which means that the problem
> and solution have been fully assessed.
>
> Now for a personal comment: my pet-peeve are commit logs that just
> describe the patch; I usually don't need that, except in very complex
> patches. What I really need is a commit log that explains the patch,
> that tells me the why, not the how.
>
> Of course, finding the right balance between "not enough details" and
> "too many details" is not trivial, and is an exercise in its own right.
>
> But again, I do appreciate that people are concerned enough about the
> project, and call on the maintainers.
>
> Regards,
> Yann E. MORIN.
>
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