Re: Review process

[Mathieu Lirzin <mthl@gnu.org>]

Alex Kost <alezost@gmail.com> writes:

> Mathieu Lirzin (2016-07-23 12:51 +0300) wrote:
>
>> Alex Kost <alezost@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> Pjotr Prins (2016-07-23 05:24 +0300) wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thanks Ludo. As it stands I am no longer submitting packages to ML. I
>>>> did my utmost to make the package lean and clean. This package is not
>>>> going in.
>>>>
>>>> But, I suggest you listen. I know at least 4 people here who say they
>>>> have trouble submitting to Guix. Good people.
>>>
>>> 5 including me :-) I always feel big inconveniences sending patches, and
>>> I don't like that the development happens on mailing list.  However
>>> unlike Pjotr and Jookia I think it's my problem, not the one of the Guix
>>> community.
>>>
>>> I just wrote this because I'm almost sure that some day I will maintain
>>> emacs interface separately from Guix again.  I've been regretting all
>>> the time that it became a part of Guix.
>>
>> I am interested to know what do you miss from that the period you were
>> maintaining it separately?
>
> Oh, this is easy: if I maintain something myself, I don't ask anyone, I
> just commit whatever seems appropriate to me, and that's it.  When I
> send patches for emacs UI to the mailing list, it's like I ask
> permissions to modify a part of code I wrote.

Sure, I understand this can feel frustrating.

> Also I always have a bad feeling that I load Ludovic (who is the only
> person reviewing these patches) with a useless additional work.

I am confident that Ludovic doesn't think of your patches that way.

> Finally, I feel like I clog the mailing list with my patches.  Sometimes
> I want to make some small change, but then I think: «Ah, it's not so
> big, no one will ever notice it anyway, so I wouldn't bother people with
> it.»  (although recently myglc2 noticed several such things :-))

Maybe you could view your patches for emacs UI has a buffer with an
"LGTM" default that you can push for example 1 week later.  It gives
others a chance to comment on potential controversial changes and gives
you a chance to improve them, without feeling that you are asking
permission.  What do others think?

Even if I am not very active in reviewing/commenting your patches, I
appreciate the fact that Emacs UI is included in Guix source tree
because it feels integrated and is ready to hack for any Guix
contributor.  I hope this will continue.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

-- 
Mathieu Lirzin