[FFmpeg-devel] [RFC] MAINTAINERS cleanup

[Michael Niedermayer]

On Sat, Jun 11, 2016 at 01:55:01PM +0200, Clément Bœsch wrote:
> On Sat, Jun 11, 2016 at 12:57:13PM +0200, Michael Niedermayer wrote:
> > Hi
> > 
> > the MAINTAINERs file contains a bunch of inaccurate and outdated
> > entries.
> > 
> > What should be done about this ?
> > should we remove everyone who was inactive in FFmpeg
> > (aka no commit/author since 2 years) as in git log --first-parent ... ?
> > should we mark everyone above as inactive instead like "(inactive)"
> > 
> > shuuld someone send mails to everyone and ask if they stil maintain
> > the code they are listed for ?
> > 
> 
> I'd say at most 30% of the file is still accurate, which means 70% of the
> file could be dropped. And then we'll see that it's so small the file is
> mostly irrelevant.
> 
> Now I'd rather have the file used as a "community profile" to look for
> qualified people in the various area of the project; or said differently,
> keep only applications, misc areas, communication, generic parts entries.
> 
> I feel like this file had for mission to be used as an argument to make
> sure people are indeed responsible for their code (as in "hey you're the
> maintainer of X, please review my patch"). Does it work? Did it in the
> past?

The file serves as the foundation of "who has/should have/needs
git write access" and who has op on IRC
(this works and worked)

It serves as a list of arbiters case of disagreement
(that wasnt used much at least not litterally)

Without a MAINTAINERs file git write access and irc op could become
more disputable

I do like the unwritten? rule of
"if you maintain some code you have the last word about it"
"if you maintain some code you have git write access"
"if someone disagrees about someone else maintaining then he better
 volunteers himself to do a better job"

Now, if you look at the people who left FFmpeg over the years, i
think in many if not most cases it involved prior conflicts with other
developers over the area they worked on.
so the idea of
"if you maintain some code you have the last word about it"
is IMO important, this doesnt strictly need a maintainers file of
course.
But many people work on what is fun for them, and while removing the
file or chageing its meaning doesnt directly change that, i think we
should be carefull to avoid creating a difference between the people
actively working on the code and the ones being in charge about the
code in question.

[...]

-- 
Michael     GnuPG fingerprint: 9FF2128B147EF6730BADF133611EC787040B0FAB

Dictatorship: All citizens are under surveillance, all their steps and
actions recorded, for the politicians to enforce control.
Democracy: All politicians are under surveillance, all their steps and
actions recorded, for the citizens to enforce control.
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