From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 16002 invoked by alias); 4 Jan 2003 16:42:08 -0000 Mailing-List: contact gdb-patches-help@sources.redhat.com; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: gdb-patches-owner@sources.redhat.com Received: (qmail 15995 invoked from network); 4 Jan 2003 16:42:07 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO duracef.shout.net) (204.253.184.12) by 209.249.29.67 with SMTP; 4 Jan 2003 16:42:07 -0000 Received: (from mec@localhost) by duracef.shout.net (8.11.6/8.11.6) id h04Gft101583; Sat, 4 Jan 2003 10:41:55 -0600 Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2003 16:42:00 -0000 From: Michael Elizabeth Chastain Message-Id: <200301041641.h04Gft101583@duracef.shout.net> To: gdb-patches@sources.redhat.com, RaoulGough@yahoo.co.uk Subject: Re: coffread.c extension for DLLs without debugging symbols X-SW-Source: 2003-01/txt/msg00149.txt.bz2 Hi Raoul, > What does RFA stand for? Seemed to me like it was used by people who > were actually capable of updating the CVS themselves and just wanted > confirmation. "RFA" == "Request for Approval". GDB has a human approval system that goes beyond the CVS permissions. You can read about it in the top level MAINTAINERS file. There are three levels of access. 'Blanket Maintainers' have the authority to commit files anywhere in the gdb tree. Several types of 'Maintainers' have authority to commit files in their area of responsibility. 'Write After Approval' maintainers have the authority to commit their patches if a Blanket Maintainer or a Maintainer approves them. All of these people have write permission in the CVS repository. If someone exceeds their authority and commits a patch without the necessary authority, then the Head Maintainer would deal with them and with their unauthorized commit. This does not happen very often. Many maintainers, even Blanket Maintainers, ask for RFA on patches that they have the authority to commit. If there is an active Maintainer for an area, it's a smart move to get the Maintainer's opinion before commiting to that area. Other request types are: RFC == "request for comments". The submitter wants feedback on the patch and may not even want to commit it yet. RFA == "request for approval". The submitter has little doubt that the patch is ready to commit, and just wants a short answer. PATCH == "it's going in". The submitter has authority to commit this patch and is about to do so, either immediately or as soon as they get around to it. No reply is needed. Michael Snyder knows the nuances of this system better than I do; he may have some corrections. I just filed a PR to document this stuff for the benefit of first-time patch writers. Michael C