Re: Linux 4.20-rc6

[Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>]

On Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 1:52 AM Andy Shevchenko
<andy.shevchenko@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Linus, due to my vacation schedule and possibility that Darren might
> be also busy with some stuff, would be okay to send PR this week, for
> example?

Oh, absolutely.

And I want to make it clear that this is not something you ever need
to even ask about, or make some "special case". It is absolutely
always true that any submaintainer can send pull requests for the next
merge window early.

To avoid any confusion, I do ask for a couple of simple things if you
send a pull request before the merge window opens:

 - make it very clear and _explicit_ in the pull request that this is
for the next merge window.

   In other words, don't make me unnecessarily upset about "this is
much too late in the rc series to send something this big" by making
it a small note at the end.

   This could still be something lik [GIT PULL] in the subject line,
but on the very first line say "For the next merge window" or
something. Don't make it subtle or something I might not notice before
I start getting upset at how big a pull request you're sending me
during rc6+.

 - don't use it as an excuse to send two or more bigger merge window
pulls. An early pull is not an excuse to then have a second big pull
with other changes.

   Second (and third) pulls are obviously fine, but they should either
be starting the calming-down period, or be about other things entirely
(some groups send 5-10 pull requests that are independent).

   I don't want to get the feeling that there is a "this is partial
work, there will be more" pattern.

Anyway, people have done this in the past, and I don't mind it at all.
Send pull requests early if they are all done and ready.

You don't even need to have a vacation excuse, you can just say "I'm
done, this is already in linux-next and it's passed testing etc, it's
not some unbaked thing that I just want to get rid of early"

                  Linus