[PATCH v3 1/1] [gdb]: add git trailer information on gdb/MAINTAINERS

Bruno Larsen via Gdb-patches
2023-06-28T12:44:37Z

The project has been using Tested-By (tb), Reviewed-By (rb) and
Approved-By (ab) for some time, but there has been no information to be
found in the actual repository. This commit changes that by adding
information about all git trailers to the MAINTAINERS file, so that it
can be easily double-checked.

The upstream discussion also brought up the use of Acked-by, which is
better defined in this commit. Finally, for completeness sake, the
trailers Co-Authored-By and Bug were added, even though they have been
in use for some time already
---
gdb/MAINTAINERS | 66 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------
1 file changed, 58 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/gdb/MAINTAINERS b/gdb/MAINTAINERS
index 7fa608fd82c..cd9d299ea42 100644
--- a/gdb/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/gdb/MAINTAINERS
@@ -43,14 +43,9 @@ patch without review from another maintainer. This especially includes
patches which change internal interfaces (e.g. global functions, data
structures) or external interfaces (e.g. user, remote, MI, et cetera).

-The term "review" is used in this file to describe several kinds of feedback
-from a maintainer: approval, rejection, and requests for changes or
-clarification with the intention of approving a revised version. Review is
-a privilege and/or responsibility of various positions among the GDB
-Maintainers. Of course, anyone - whether they hold a position but not the
-relevant one for a particular patch, or are just following along on the
-mailing lists for fun, or anything in between - may suggest changes or
-ask questions about a patch!
+The word "contributor" is used in this document to refer to any GDB
+developer listed above as well as folks who may have suggested some
+patches but aren't part of one of those categories for any reason.

There's also a couple of other people who play special roles in the GDB
community, separately from the patch process:
@@ -78,6 +73,61 @@ consensus among the global maintainers and any other involved parties.
In cases where consensus can not be reached, the global maintainers may
ask the official FSF-appointed GDB maintainers for a final decision.

+The term "review" is used in this file to describe several kinds of
+feedback from a maintainer: approval, rejection, and requests for changes
+or clarification with the intention of approving a revised version.
+Approval is a privilege and/or responsibility of various positions among
+the GDB Maintainers. Of course, anyone - whether they hold a position, but
+not the relevant one for a particular patch, or are just following along on
+the mailing lists for fun, or anything in between - may suggest changes, ask
+questions about a patch or say if they believe a patch is fit for upstreaming!
+
+To ensure that patches are only pushed when approved, and to properly credit
+the contributors who take the time to improve this project, the following
+trailers are used to identify who contributed and how. All patches pushed
+upstream should have at least one Approved-By patches (with the exception of
+obvious patches, see below). The trailers (or tags) currently in use are:
+
+ - Acked-By:
+
+ Used when a contributor has taken a quick glance at a patch and agrees
+ with the direction outlined in the commit message, but hasn't evaluated
+ the code for correctness or regressions.
+
+ - Tested-by:
+
+ Used when a contributor has tested the patch and finds that it
+ fixes the claimed problem. It may also be used to indicate that
+ the contributor has performed regression testing. By itself, this
+ tag says nothing about the quality of the fix implemented by the
+ patch.
+
+ - Reviewed-by:
+
+ Used when a contributor has looked at code and agrees with the
+ changes, but either doesn't have the authority or doesn't feel
+ comfortable approving the patch.
+
+ - Approved-by:
+
+ Used by responsible maintainers or global maintainers when a patch is
+ ready to be upstreamed. Some patches may touch multiple areas and
+ require multiple approvals before landing (such as a maintainer only
+ approving documentation), it is up to the maintainer giving the approval
+ tag to make it clear when that a tag is not sufficient. Responsible,
+ Global and Official FSF-appointed maintainers may approve their own
+ patches, but it is recommended that they seek external approval before
+ doing so.
+
+ - Co-Authored-By:
+
+ Used when the commit includes meaningful conrtibutions from multiple people.
+
+ - Bug:
+
+ This trailer is added with a link to the GDB bug tracker for added context
+ on relevant commits.
+

The Obvious Fix Rule
--------------------
--
2.41.0