Re: using LKML for subsystem development

From: Ingo Molnar
Date: Fri Feb 01 2008 - 04:41:43 EST



(a late reply - the merge window made me ignore this thread ;-)

* Stefan Richter <stefanr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> > (or if that's still too much, follow the time-deferred lkml updates
> > of lwn.net)
> >
> > Realize it: it's _far_ easier to filter down a too verbose source of
> > information, than to put scattered, inaccessible pieces of
> > information back together. It's far easier to get a cup of water
> > from the open firehose than it is to gather the drops once they
> > spilled on the ground.
>
> Correct.

so you agree with me on this one? Even though you clearly do not realize
it, you've in essence conceded my whole point.

The "off-lkml" practice makes us lose information, in a largely
irreversible way - and that's the end of the argument. Q.E.D.

just let me show you an example of the conflict of logic in your
argument:

> [ people ]
>
> - who are afraid of subscribing to a high-volume mailinglist (even
> if they have the technical means at their disposal to manage that
> volume),

on one side you have people who are _willing_ to participate, who'd like
to help out, who'd like to follow the development of Linux, but cannot
for some areas because it's split into 150 small mailing lists with no
coherent way to access and manage them.

on the other side you talk about people who are 'afraid' of
participating in Linux development, even though "they have the technical
means at their disposal to manage that volume". I.e., they "could"
participate, but they "dont want to" - for time constraints or just
excuses like "it's difficult to filter".

and your solution: you advocate destroying information by pulling it off
lkml for the sake of the _second_ group of people? That's perverse.

all the other arguments you say are just totally immaterial. Yes, we
could and should make lkml a better place (you could have volunteered to
summarize lkml discussions of your favorite topic on a separate list,
you could forward interesting topics to people you know dont read all of
it, etc. etc.,) but your proposed solution of _destroying lkml_ by
pulling off development into those lists is just about the most stupid
solution a person could have come up with.

Ingo
--
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/