linux-kernel.vger.kernel.org archive mirror
 help / color / mirror / Atom feed
From: Stefan Richter <stefanr@s5r6.in-berlin.de>
To: Mark Brown <broonie@opensource.wolfsonmicro.com>
Cc: Jiri Kosina <jkosina@suse.cz>,
	Randy Dunlap <rdunlap@xenotime.net>,
	Florian Mickler <florian@mickler.org>,
	Joe Perches <joe@perches.com>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>,
	alsa-devel@alsa-project.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: rfc: rewrite commit subject line for subsystem maintainer preference tool
Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 22:07:37 +0100	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <20101117220737.2d3d7356@stein> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <20101117170746.GB19488@rakim.wolfsonmicro.main>

On Nov 17 Mark Brown wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 17, 2010 at 01:53:35AM +0100, Jiri Kosina wrote:
> > On Wed, 17 Nov 2010, Stefan Richter wrote:
> 
> > > Why should we codify our conventions in MAINTAINERS to accommodate the
> > > specific problem of virtually a _single_ patch author?
> 
> It seems to be the way we're heading in general - look at all the recent
> work on MAINTAINERS and get_maintainer.pl.  There seems to be a genral
> push to make all this stuff automatable.

get_maintainer.pl, used with judgment and together with "gitk
the/patched/source.c" is nice not only for people like Joe who
regularly work tree-wide but also for ones like me who only rarely want
to submit a bug report or patch for a subsystem with they are
unfamiliar with.

But the thought of a database of "how to start a good patch title" is
far-fetched.  Really, as a patch author, just look how other people
write patch titles and judge whether this is good for your work too or
not.

> > Either the maintainer wants the patch. Then he is certainly able to apply 
> > it no matter the subject line (I personally am getting a lot of patches 
> > which don't follow the format I am using in my tree ... converting 
> > Subject: lines is so trivial that I have never felt like bothering anyone 
> > about it ... it's basically single condition in a shellscript). Or the 
> 
> It's slightly more than that if you're dealing with more than one area,
> and I also find this sort of stuff is a good flag for scrubbing the
> patch in greater detail - when patches stand out from a 1000ft visual
> overview there's a fair chance that there's other issues so if people
> regularly submit good patches that have only cosmetic issues I find it's
> worth guiding them away from that.

On one hand Jiri is right that maintainers can adjust title prefixes ad
hoc.  (Downside:  Weaker connection to mailinglist archives.)  On the
other hand, in the case of long-term prolific authors like Joe it is
more optimal if there is a good patch title right from the outset.

So, if this boring thread does at least yield the conclusion that
${path}/${filename}: is a bad title prefix, at least something was
won. :-)

Another thought:  Whether a typical part of a mass conversion, e.g. to
use a new helper macro without change of functionality, is named

	[PATCH] [subsystem] driver: use foo_bar helper
or
	[PATCH] use foo_bar helper in subsystem, driver

does not really matter, does it?  This change is more about the helper
than about the driver.  It is really a different kind of changeset than
a functional change that we want to be called

	[PATCH] [subsystem] driver: fix crash at disconnection

or so.  This is something that those who look for release notes of
that driver or subsystem want to grep in the changelog.

Or in other words:  If you as patch author wonder what would be a good
title for your patch, then ask yourself:  How should this change show up
in kernel release notes that are constructed from the git shortlog?
Sometimes the answer to this question includes among else a prefix with
a canonical subsystem name (even case sensitive, with brackets or
colon), whereas other times such formalities are utterly pointless.

[Sorry for the spent electrons.  But OTOH, issues like (1.) optimum
use of reviewer bandwidth, (2.) kernel changelog alias release
notes /do/ matter.]
-- 
Stefan Richter
-=====-==-=- =-== =---=
http://arcgraph.de/sr/

  reply	other threads:[~2010-11-17 21:07 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 100+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2010-11-15  3:04 [PATCH 00/44] remove unnecessary semicolons Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 01/44] arch/arm: Remove " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 02/44] arch/microblaze: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  6:37   ` Michal Simek
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 03/44] arch/um: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 04/44] drivers/cpufreq: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 05/44] drivers/gpio: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 06/44] drivers/i2c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 07/44] drivers/isdn: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 08/44] drivers/leds: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 09/44] drivers/media/video: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 10/44] drivers/misc: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 11/44] drivers/mmc: " Joe Perches
2010-12-05  3:32   ` Chris Ball
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 12/44] drivers/net/bnx2x: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 13/44] drivers/net/e1000e: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 14/44] drivers/net/ixgbe: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 16:24   ` Rose, Gregory V
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 15/44] drivers/net/vxge: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:07   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 16/44] drivers/net/wireless/ath: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 17/44] drivers/net/wireless/iwlwifi: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 18/44] drivers/net/cnic.c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 19/44] drivers/platform/x86: " Joe Perches
2010-11-24 16:52   ` Matthew Garrett
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 20/44] drivers/power: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 21/44] drivers/s390/net: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:08   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 22/44] drivers/scsi/be2iscsi: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 23/44] drivers/scsi/bfa: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 24/44] drivers/scsi/lpfc: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 25/44] drivers/scsi/pm8001: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:27   ` Jack Wang
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 26/44] drivers/scsi/qla2xxx: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 27/44] drivers/serial: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 28/44] drivers/spi: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:57   ` Grant Likely
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 29/44] drivers/staging: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 30/44] drivers/usb/gadget: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 31/44] drivers/xen: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 32/44] fs/9p: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 33/44] fs/ceph: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 34/44] fs/logfs: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 35/44] fs/nfs: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 36/44] fs/ocfs2: " Joe Perches
2010-11-17  0:10   ` Joel Becker
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 37/44] fs/ubifs: " Joe Perches
2010-11-19 13:21   ` Artem Bityutskiy
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 38/44] include/linux/if_macvlan.h: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:07   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 39/44] include/net/caif/cfctrl.h: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  7:12   ` Sjur BRENDELAND
2010-11-15 19:07   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:04 ` [PATCH 40/44] mm/hugetlb.c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  9:52   ` Mel Gorman
2010-11-15  3:05 ` [PATCH 41/44] net/ipv6/mcast.c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:07   ` David Miller
2010-11-15  3:05 ` [PATCH 42/44] net/sunrpc/addr.c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15  3:05 ` [PATCH 43/44] sound/core/pcm_lib.c: " Joe Perches
2010-11-22  6:44   ` Takashi Iwai
2010-11-15  3:05 ` [PATCH 44/44] sound/soc/codecs: " Joe Perches
2010-11-15 11:09   ` Liam Girdwood
2010-11-15 13:49   ` Mark Brown
2010-11-15 17:09     ` Joe Perches
2010-11-15 17:30       ` Mark Brown
2010-11-15 17:34         ` Joe Perches
2010-11-15 18:27           ` Mark Brown
2010-11-15 18:30             ` Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:07               ` Mark Brown
2010-11-15 19:14                 ` Joe Perches
2010-11-15 19:34                   ` Mark Brown
2010-11-15 19:52                     ` Joe Perches
2010-11-16 10:49                       ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 14:51                         ` rfc: rewrite commit subject line for subsystem maintainer preference tool Joe Perches
2010-11-16 15:04                           ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 17:37                           ` Florian Mickler
2010-11-16 18:12                             ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 19:35                               ` Florian Mickler
2010-11-16 19:55                                 ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 20:21                                   ` Randy Dunlap
2010-11-16 20:42                                     ` Joe Perches
2010-11-16 20:46                                       ` Randy Dunlap
2010-11-16 23:22                                         ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 23:28                                           ` Randy Dunlap
2010-11-16 23:50                                             ` Mark Brown
2010-11-16 23:57                                             ` Joe Perches
2010-11-17  0:55                                               ` Randy Dunlap
2010-11-16 23:57                                           ` Joe Perches
2010-11-16 23:01                                     ` Mark Brown
2010-11-17  0:44                                       ` Stefan Richter
2010-11-17  0:53                                         ` Jiri Kosina
2010-11-17 17:07                                           ` Mark Brown
2010-11-17 21:07                                             ` Stefan Richter [this message]
2010-11-17 23:49                                               ` Joe Perches
2010-11-17 19:32           ` [PATCH 44/44] sound/soc/codecs: Remove unnecessary semicolons Pavel Machek

Reply instructions:

You may reply publicly to this message via plain-text email
using any one of the following methods:

* Save the following mbox file, import it into your mail client,
  and reply-to-all from there: mbox

  Avoid top-posting and favor interleaved quoting:
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posting_style#Interleaved_style

* Reply using the --to, --cc, and --in-reply-to
  switches of git-send-email(1):

  git send-email \
    --in-reply-to=20101117220737.2d3d7356@stein \
    --to=stefanr@s5r6.in-berlin.de \
    --cc=akpm@linux-foundation.org \
    --cc=alsa-devel@alsa-project.org \
    --cc=broonie@opensource.wolfsonmicro.com \
    --cc=florian@mickler.org \
    --cc=jkosina@suse.cz \
    --cc=joe@perches.com \
    --cc=linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org \
    --cc=rdunlap@xenotime.net \
    /path/to/YOUR_REPLY

  https://kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/git-send-email.html

* If your mail client supports setting the In-Reply-To header
  via mailto: links, try the mailto: link
Be sure your reply has a Subject: header at the top and a blank line before the message body.
This is a public inbox, see mirroring instructions
for how to clone and mirror all data and code used for this inbox;
as well as URLs for NNTP newsgroup(s).