The plan is to make this very light-weight, and to fit in with how we already pass patches around - just add the sign-off to the end of the explanation part of the patch. That sign-off would be just a single line at the end (possibly after _other_ peoples sign-offs), saying:To avoid the requirement of all submissions going through a single person,
Signed-off-by: Random J Developer <random@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To keep the rules as simple as possible, and yet making it clear what it
means to sign off on the patch, I've been discussing a "Developer's
Certificate of Origin" with a random collection of other kernel
developers (mainly subsystem maintainers). This would basically be what
a developer (or a maintainer that passes through a patch) signs up for
when he signs off, so that the downstream (upstream?) developers know
that it's all ok:
Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.0
By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:
(a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I
have the right to submit it under the open source license
indicated in the file; or
(b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best
of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source
license and I have the right under that license to submit that
work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part
by me, under the same open source license (unless I am
permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated
in the file; or
(c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other
person who certified (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified
it.
...I'd like to include a link between the external path and our internal procedures.
The above also allows for companies that have "release criteria" to have
the company "release person" sign off on a patch, so that a company can
easily incorporate their own internal release procedures and see that all
the patches have gone through the right channel. At the same time it is
meant to _not_ cause anybody to have to change how they work (ie there is
no "extra paperwork" at any point).