Re: [RFC] How to (automatically) find the correct maintainer(s)

From: Richard Knutsson
Date: Sun Jan 14 2007 - 16:41:09 EST


Matthias Schniedermeyer wrote:
Richard Knutsson wrote:
Matthias Schniedermeyer wrote:

Richard Knutsson wrote:



Any thoughts on this is very much appreciated (is there any flaws with
this?).
The thought that crossed my mind was:

Why not do the same thing that was done to the "Help"-file. (Before it
was superseded by Kconfig).

Originaly there was a central Help-file, with all the texts. Then it was
split and placed in each sub-dir. And later it was superseded by Kconfig.

On the other hand you could skip the intermediate step and just fold the
Maintainer-data directly into Kconfig, that way everything is "in one
place" and you could place a "Maintainers"-Button next to the
"Help"-Button in *config, or just display it alongside the help.

And MAYBE that would also lessen the "update-to-date"-problem, as you
can just write the MAINTAINERs-data when you create/update the
Kconfig-file. Which is a thing that creates much bigger pain when you
forget it accidently. ;-)

Oh, and it neadly solves the mapping-problem, for at least all
kernel-parts that have a Kconfig-option/Sub-Tree.
I'm all for splitting up the MAINTAINERS! :)

Just, do you have any ideas how to solve the possible multiple of the
same entries, when handling multiple sub-directories and when many
different drivers with different maintainers are in the same directory
and a maintainer have more then one driver?

Handles.
If a Maintainer maintains several subsystems/drivers a "handle" could be
used to references to a handle-list (hello MAINTAINERS) or to the place
where the full-maintainers-entry is placed.
Mm, and maybe store the entry on the shortest-pathway common directory. Then there should be just a few left entries in the current MAINTAINERS. But how to create the handles?
* Name (problem with persons with the same name)
* E-mail (much to change when they change it)
This also make a problem when there is a change of the maintainer, what happens with the entry if there is no maintainer?
* Just numbers and increase every new one with one? (quite ugly!)
... and here is the end of my ideas.

Any good ideas? (Really liked the idea to have a "Maintainer"-button next to "Help" in *config)

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