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Re: Patching etiquette

From: Blair Zajac <blair_at_orcaware.com>
Date: 2003-08-25 21:14:23 CEST

Files wrote:
>
> Philip Martin (philip@codematters.co.uk) wrote:
> >
> >"Files" <files@poetryunlimited.com> writes:
> >
> >
> >So that's one single email, and it appears to me that your patch was
> >incomplete. The Subversion project generates thousands of emails
> >every month, why should anyone be interested in a single email from
> >the issue tracker about a patch that's not finished? Did you ever
> >follow up with another email? Did you ever post the patch to the dev
> >list? Did you ever attach the patch to the issue? Did you ever even
> >finish the patch?

Hi Files,

> I finished the patch and ended up using the thing, but wasn't sure if someone was
> going to get upset at me for trying to step on toes if someone else was already
> working on it.

No, this list doesn't work like this.

> When I was told it was inapplicable, I figured there was no use for it except just
> for me. Why go out of my way to help someone that has basically said, "no thanks,
> don't need your help". That's a quick way to make people mad.

Yes, but there was a misunderstanding about inapplicable for the 1.0
release, not for the Subversion project as a whole.

> You can't make someone fix something just because you think it needs to be.
> Therefore I asked after I had gotten a working prototype, which I proceeded to use.
>
> I figured at that point I had to live with the problem. Since there was nothing out
> there that was better.
>
> I was very disappointed to find that someone had fixed the problem later, when a
> big company had reported it without a fix. I felt like someone had wasted timet hey
> could have spent doing something more useful. Money down the drain. All that good
> stuff.

Sorry to hear that your time was wasted. It happens to me and
everybody.

> Being a subversion "newbie" I figured I would upset the pecking order by attempting
> to post the solution without asking permission first.

No, definitely always post the patch. Makes life easier for everybody,
you and the developer included. Less issues like this arise.

> Figured asking if someone wanted it was the polite way of making sure I wasn't
> duplicating someone's effort and wasn't overriding their investment into whatever
> portion was going to fix it. Personally, I'm not married to my code. I know a lot
> of people that are. So it's safer to ask.
>
> I was attempting to be polite and courteous. Guess I needed to be more pushy?

Yes.

> The "Here's the fix, go use it approach?"

Yes!

Can we put this thread to rest now?

Best,
Blair

-- 
Blair Zajac <blair@orcaware.com>
Plots of your system's performance - http://www.orcaware.com/orca/
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Received on Mon Aug 25 21:15:26 2003

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