Re: A note from the maintainer

From: Brian Lyles <brianmlyles@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 21, 2024, 00:03 UTC
Message-ID: <17be9ebbcb24ec98.70b1dd9aae081c6e.203dcd72f6563036@zivdesk>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqr0g4hopl.fsf@gitster.g>

Hi Junio

On Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 11:18 AM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:

Show 8 quoted lines

> If you sent a patch and you did not hear any response from anybody for
> several days, it could be that your patch was totally uninteresting,
> but it also is possible that it was simply lost in the noise. Please
> do not hesitate to send a reminder message in such a case.  Messages
> getting lost in the noise may be a sign that those who can evaluate
> your patch don't have enough mental/time bandwidth to process them
> right at the moment, and it often helps to wait until the list traffic
> becomes calmer before sending such a reminder.

I think it would be good to revise this wording in future iterations. "Totally uninteresting" is a bit ambiguous, and also sounds quite negative (at least to me).

To me, this initially sounded like it meant "your patch was not something that the git maintainers would be interested in accepting". I *suspect* that what is actually meant here is "your patch was straightforward and non-controversial to the point that no members of the list saw it and felt the need to comment on it", though to be honest I am not 100% sure.

If it is expected that a "totally uninteresting" patch might, in fact, end up in your tree without further comment, I think it could be helpful to indicate that as well.

Here is what comes to my mind based on my (very likely not full) understanding of the process:

    If you have sent a patch to the list and have not heard any response
	for several days, a few things may have happened:
	
	- Your patch was straightforward and non-controversial, so no
	  members of the list felt the need to comment on it
	- The members of the list that would review your patch do not have
	  the time to process them at the moment
	- Your patch was simply lost in the noise

	If you are unsure, keep an eye on the next few "What's cooking in
	git.git" emails. If your patch does not make an appearance there
	within a week or so, you may want to send out a reminder. It often
	helps to wait until the list traffic becomes calmer before sending a
	reminder.

I don't know how accurate that actually is, but I think it conveys the tone and clarity that I am getting at.

-- 
Thank you,
Brian Lyles