[gentoo-dev] Re: [RFC] Features and documentation

[Duncan]

Steve Long <slong@××××××××××××××××××.uk> posted fiop46$9o$1@×××××××××.org,
excerpted below, on  Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:42:03 +0000:

> Duncan wrote:

>> It's kinda hard to discuss such a proposal without knowing where it is
>> going to be applied

> I took it to mean anything which changes something already documented on
> a gentoo doc website (including the devmanual but not individual dev
> space) or in a man page. [...] Additions would count too; I'd imagine
> someone adding a new feature would want others to know about it.

> I saw [this] as an attempt to make the development team aware of
> documentation responsibility, and asking them to bear that in mind when
> they change or add stuff [...] It doesn't have to mean sanctions at any
> point, but rather that someone would be put in touch with docs if they
> needed help to document stuff. I'd think new people would welcome that.

OK.  That makes sense, and the last part agrees with the reply I got from 
the private inquiry I mentioned.  Quoting a single though from Donnie's 
reply:

> This isn't about punishing people. But it could be about
> reverting their commit until it comes back with documentation.

IMO people are (unfortunately correctly, given history) afraid of 
something being used to clobber them over the head.  If the above thought 
were included virtually verbatim in whatever is ultimately hard-proposed, 
I believe it'd go a LONG way to avoiding that, since the "clobber limits" 
are now clearly defined and (IMO) reasonable.

I guess I've been concerned that neither the reach of nor the weight of 
the "clobber stick" seemed limited in any way, and I think we've seen 
that an unlimited "clobber stick" isn't a good thing.  I was trying to 
limit the reach; Donnie didn't want that, but now I see his point that 
limiting the weight is equally abuse preventative, while less crippling 
to the effectiveness of the tool.

So provided a substantively similar "clobber limit" appears in the final 
proposal, I'm now supportive.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.   No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master."  Richard Stallman

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