Re: [PATCH 01/12] thinkpad_ec: New driver for ThinkPad embeddedcontroller access

[Arjan van de Ven]

On Sun, 2006-08-06 at 13:44 +0300, Shem Multinymous wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> On 8/6/06, Andrew Morton <akpm@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > I suggested a simple solution: Perhaps one of the other project members
> > (ie: one who uses a real name) could also sign off the patches?
> 
> Well, I offer this patch under the GPL, so anyone (including you) can do it.
> 
> But I would like to be able to submit further patches without "adult
> supervision", so I hope you don't mind my pressing the issue:
> 


Open source is all about trust. Person A takes a patch from person B
because person A has trust in B (conditional on the patch meeting a
technical standard). In B's technical ability, in B's intentions, in B's
sincerity, in B's honesty when he says "this is my work and you can use
it because nobody but me has a claim on this".

Using a fake name is not a good way to gain such trust... At all.
Explicitly refusing to say who you really are just lowers the trust even
more, because it gives a strong appearance that something really fishy
is going on. 

Personally I would be extremely hesitant to take any patches from anyone
who refuses to give out his real name. Because trust is about a person.
Because trust means not having to hide things that matter. And a persons
identity does matter for taking patches.

-- 
if you want to mail me at work (you don't), use arjan (at) linux.intel.com

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/