Re: [PATCH v3] docs: submitting-patches: Clarify partial review tags

[Geert Uytterhoeven]

On Tue, 10 Nov 2026 at 15:36, Krzysztof Kozlowski
<krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Refactoring of driver subsystems or some core driver parts often come
> with change of the actual drivers.  If that happens within one patch,
> people giving "Reviewed-by" tag only to piece of the patch, like one
> driver, and ignoring the rest including the main concept of the patch,
> are not really reviewing "the patch".
>
> As explained in the Submitting Patches document, the "Reviewer's
> statement of oversight" is for patch as in "entire patch" meaning:
>
>   (a) I have carried out a technical review of this patch to
>       evaluate its appropriateness and readiness for inclusion into
>       the mainline kernel.
>
> The sentence is explicit, exhaustive and complete, meaning it does not
> allow implicit variations like: "this patch or part of this patch".
>
> Reviewing pieces of the patch while ignoring the main part of it, is
> much closer to Acknowledgment, thus Ack or at least "Reviewed-by" should
> be followed by '# subpart' suffix.
>
> Reviewed-by: Andy Shevchenko <andriy.shevchenko@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Signed-off-by: Krzysztof Kozlowski <krzysztof.kozlowski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ---
> Changes in v3:
> 1. Minor commit msg adjustments
> 2. Use  Driver X author <foo@xxxxxxxxxxx> # for Driver
> 3. Tag

Reviewed-by: Geert Uytterhoeven <geert+renesas@xxxxxxxxx>

Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

                        Geert

-- 
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
                                -- Linus Torvalds