Re: [PATCH 2/2] Add keyword unexpansion support to convert.c

From: Robin H. Johnson <robbat2@gentoo.org>
Date: Apr 18, 2007, 01:06 UTC
Message-ID: <20070418010637.GF31488@curie-int.orbis-terrarum.net>
In-Reply-To: <7vps62lfbw.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

On Tue, Apr 17, 2007 at 05:02:43PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 17 quoted lines

> > As for a usage case:
> > - J.PEBKAC.User gets a a tree (from a tarball or GIT, we should gain the
> >   same output)
> > - Copies some file outside of the tree (the user is NOT smart enough,
> >   and resists all reasonable attempts at edumacation)
> > - Modifies said file outside of tree.
> > - Contacts maintainer with entire changed file.
> > - User vanishes off the internet.
> >
> > The entire file he sent if it's CVS, contains a $Header$ that uniquely
> > identifies the file (path and revision), and the maintainer can simply
> > drop the file in, and 'cvs diff -r$OLDREV $FILE'.
> > If it's git, the maintainer drops the file in, and does 'git diff
> > $OLDSHA1 $FILE'.
> I personally hope that the maintainer drops such a non-patch
> that originates from a PEBKAC.  At least I hope the tools that I
> personally use are not maintained by such a maintainer ;-)

I certainly wasn't stating blindly commit the file. Any Gentoo developer doing that should not have made it through the recruitment process.

Do the diff, separate the wheat from the chaff, and then put the useful (and reviewed) changes back into the tree.

Glancing at the Gentoo bugs I've dealt with over the last 2 months as a quick survey, there are a few levels: A - Able to submit a good diff B - Able to do a good implementation C - Able to come up with a good idea for improvement

B are in short supply, and even of those, the number that can do A are smaller :-(. Category C is vastly bigger than B, and those that don't make B throw up a lot of chaff of bad implementations.

Being able to extract the good ideas is what's important.

-- 
Robin Hugh Johnson
Gentoo Linux Developer & Council Member
E-Mail     : robbat2@gentoo.org
GnuPG FP   : 11AC BA4F 4778 E3F6 E4ED  F38E B27B 944E 3488 4E85