From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Jan 7 20:24:50 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F229F16A4CE; Wed, 7 Jan 2004 20:24:49 -0800 (PST) Received: from gabby.gsicomp.on.ca (CPE00062566c7bb-CM000039c69a66.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com [24.192.222.167]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D335043D41; Wed, 7 Jan 2004 20:24:47 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from matt@gsicomp.on.ca) Received: from hermes (hermes.gsicomp.on.ca [192.168.0.18]) by gabby.gsicomp.on.ca (8.12.9p2/8.12.9) with SMTP id i084P88P026712; Wed, 7 Jan 2004 23:25:08 -0500 (EST) (envelope-from matt@gsicomp.on.ca) Message-ID: <006601c3d59e$ec98ece0$1200a8c0@gsicomp.on.ca> From: "Matt Emmerton" To: "Ryan Sommers" , "Nick Rogness" References: <1073533525.650.59.camel@localhost> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 23:21:43 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Where is FreeBSD going? X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 08 Jan 2004 04:24:50 -0000 > > 3) Simple but time consuming requests from developers > > > > - Isn't it possible to have developers pass off some of > > their simple tasks to others? Think of it like a "pet dog". > > Your dog may be able fetch your newspaper but he couldn't read it. > > Still fetching the newspaper takes time! > > > > The requests I see are usually Jr. kernel type requests. > > Everyone wants to contribute at the kernel level but that takes > > a lot of knowhow and experience working with fbsd's kernel. Let > > users get involved with simple (stupid) tasks which are time > > consuming. Now define "simple"... > > Again, I think a JKH (Junior Kernel Hacker) list (like the one PHK had > for awhile) would be a great addition. I'll even volunteer to maintain > it if developers were willing to help me by providing these small > "projects" for people to work on. As someone attempting to join the > ranks of people in the "Submitted by:" log lines this is one of the > hardest things for me to do is find something I can work on. The only problem with a JKH list is that there need to be committers willing to review and commit PRs that are created from the tasks on the list. About a year ago I started working on one of PHK's tasks, opened up 4 PRs, and found absolutely nobody willing to review or commit them. After a month of pinging people and waiting for feedback (and getting absolutely none), I just stopped working on it. It's these kinds of impasses that prevent people who have the skills and time from actually contributing to the project. There really isn't any use opening PRs and creating patches if they're never going to get committed (or by the time someone decides to commit them, the patches need to be moved forward 3 or 4 releases.) -- Matt Emmerton