Re: Formatting Curmudgeons WAS: MMAP Buffers

Robert,

> 1. We realize we have been too trigger-happy sometimes.
> 2. But we really want you to participate.
> 3. And we are trying very hard to do better.
> 4. And please tell us if we screw up, so we can keep working on it.

I received a private offlist email from someone who didn't feel
comfortable bringing up their issues with this list publicly. Let me
quote from it, because I think it pins part of the issue:

"I believe this is due to the current postgresql "commitfest" process
whereby there is no real way to present new ideas or technologies
without coming to the table with a fully-baked plan and patch. This is
obvious even in the name "commitfest" since the expectation is that
every patch presented is considered ready-to-commit by the patch
presenter. This makes a novice or experimental contribution less likely."

You'll notice that this has been a complaint of veteran contributors as
well; WIP patches either get no review, or get reviewed as if they were
expected to be committable.

The person who e-mailed me suggests some form of PostgreSQL Incubator as
a solution. I'm not sure about that, but it does seem to me that we
need somewhere or some way that people can submit patches, ideas, git
forks, etc., for discussion without that discussion needing to
immediately move to the cleanliness/maintainability/supportable status
of the patch.

I'm concerned though that if these WIP projects don't get to -hackers,
then their creators won't get the feedback they really need.

Thoughts?

--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
http://pgexperts.com