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

[Matthias Schniedermeyer <ms@citd.de>]

Richard Knutsson wrote:
> 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 was superseded by Kconfig).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 And later it was superseded by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)

I'd say something like:
<Initials/ShortenedName><Numbers>
e.g.
MS0001
MaSchn001
or something along that line.

Some people have several entries in the MAINTAINERs and a new way would
have to make that possible too.





Bis denn

-- 
Real Programmers consider "what you see is what you get" to be just as
bad a concept in Text Editors as it is in women. No, the Real Programmer
wants a "you asked for it, you got it" text editor -- complicated,
cryptic, powerful, unforgiving, dangerous.

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