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On Sun, Mar 3, 2013 at 7:38 AM, Peter Stuge <peter@×××××.se> wrote: |
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> |
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> To me it's obvious that he did it because it made something easier |
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> for him. By breaking the Gentoo rule he got something done. |
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Rules exist for a reason. If we're bending them because we're |
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accomplishing the goal of the rules in a better way that makes sense. |
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If we're just breaking them because following them is inconvenient |
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then we're causing harm. |
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The purpose of the 30-day rule is so that stable is, well, stable. |
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Stable doesn't mean "I think this should work." Stable means that it |
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has been tested and found to work - a time delay is almost essential |
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to the definition of "stability." |
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There is room for an exception if there is some serious problem in |
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stable and the risk of causing harm is low compared to the pain |
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already being felt. Security bugs usually involve breaking the 30-day |
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rule, for example. In these cases the spirit of the rule is contrary |
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to the letter of the rule, and we rightly violate the letter as a |
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result. |
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There is no harm in pointing out that a rule was broken. If there is |
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a good reason it will be produced and everybody will nod, and if not, |
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well, then hopefully there will be an apology and we'll just move on. |
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Neither blacklisting nor banishment are the right first response to a |
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minor offense, but devs have been booted for consistently violating |
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rules like the 30 day rule, and I would expect mentors and recruiters |
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to ensure that new recruits understand and intend to follow this rule. |
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Anybody who runs a stable system is better off for it. |
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Countless threads on -dev (mail or irc) amount to "I'd like to violate |
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this rule for a good reason." There is some debate, and we either do |
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it or not. Rules aren't intended to prevent progress, but quality is |
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important and if a rule is standing in your way there might be some |
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side of the problem that you're not seeing. It never hurts to ask |
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before breaking a rule. |
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Rich |
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