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Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2001 10:59:55 -0700
Message-Id: <200112271759.fBRHxtH31437@vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca>
From: Richard Gooch <rgooch@ras.ucalgary.ca>
To: Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Cc: rmk@arm.linux.org.uk (Russell King), riel@conectiva.com.br (Rik van Riel),
        dana.lacoste@peregrine.com (Dana Lacoste),
        linuz_kernel_q@hotmail.com ('Eyal Sohya'),
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: The direction linux is taking
In-Reply-To: <E16JerY-0006Jm-00@the-village.bc.nu>
In-Reply-To: <200112271738.fBRHcSd30844@vindaloo.ras.ucalgary.ca>
	<E16JerY-0006Jm-00@the-village.bc.nu>
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Alan Cox writes:
> > So you just do what Linus does: delete those questions without
> > replying. No matter what system you use, if you want to avoid an
> > overflowing mailbox, you either have to silently drop patches, and/or
> > silently drop questions/requests/begging letters. There isn't really
> > much difference between the two.
> 
> The problem is that if Linus is simply ignoring you then you don't
> know why, A simple "Clean up the ifdefs" would make a lot of
> difference. If someone sent a patch its because they hit something
> they felt needed fixing and as far as they can tell fixed it. If you
> want them to go elsewhere ignore them, but its much more useful to
> give them at least brief answers to actual patch files

Oh, don't get me wrong. I agree completely. A short two minute reply
is not that much to ask for, and I wish Linus would be more
responsive. And apply bugfix patches (I've been trying for weeks
to get him to apply my patches to fix a bunch of Oopses:-().
But years of observations tells me that Linus likes the way he does
things and doesn't care if others don't like it. I don't expect to see
much change there.

But the point I was making was that a patch management system doesn't
really make things harder to drop/ignore. If you're comfortable with
ignoring patches (which take *work* to construct), then it's no
stretch to ignore questions (which often take little work to send).

				Regards,

					Richard....
Permanent: rgooch@atnf.csiro.au
Current:   rgooch@ras.ucalgary.ca
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