Re: [maint] The GDB maintenance process

Daniel Jacobowitz
2003-02-19T15:21:29Z

On Wed, Feb 19, 2003 at 10:17:12AM -0500, Andrew Cagney wrote:
>
> >> > Right now, we use stricter policies to prevent problems which cause
> >> > breakage. I think these policies are stifling us. Loosening them (and
> >> > maybe adding a formal patch reversion policy) would let more people fix
> >> > problems more easily, as they arise, without slowing development.
> >> >
> >>
> >>I really think that having the bug database track patches is a very
> >>big improvement. We should try to push its use a bit more before
> >>giving up on the current rules.
> >
> >
> >I don't like it, but that's just my general anti-GNATS rancor. Maybe
> >Bugzilla will be better.
>
> The idea of tracking things as bugs or GNATS?

Mostly, GNATS.

> Tracking this stuff in a public database is, I think, clearly better
> than the status quo (my mailbox). It's already been mentioned that
> there is possibly a lack of response with some maintainers. At least
> with me putting unreviewed patches in the database, we can figure out
> what patches there are, and if there is a problem. (my todo list
> includes checking that all the key developers are on the bug tracking
> list, I suspect that some are not.)
>
> Anyway, have a look in the database, you'll notice all sorts of
> interesting things.

Which reminds me. We've got two GNATS databases set up for GDB: 'gdb'
and 'gdb-patches'. Should we use the gdb-patches GNATS database to
separate them from bug reports?

> For instance search for tdep & h8300. There is an obvious backlog and
> someone (a global maintainer like yourself or I) needs to step up and
> work through them with the contributors. That task, while no where near
> as glamerous as a new feature, is absolutly needed and maintainers do
> need to be willing to chip in (in fact I think that task and
> documentation should be given a higher profile when handing out
> `credit'). Hopefuly these patches will even yield a new developer.

TBH, I've been avoiding it because I don't know the slightest thing
about the h8300 and it seemed like someone (I don't remember who -
MichaelS maybe?) did. If I'm wrong then one of us is just going to
have to suck it up and learn about the h8300... yay, another project.

--
Daniel Jacobowitz
MontaVista Software Debian GNU/Linux Developer