[MPlayer-dev-eng] [POLICY] clarify conditions for functionality removal

[Diego Biurrun]

On Thu, Feb 09, 2006 at 10:17:20AM +0200, Ivan Kalvachev wrote:
> 
> Anyway I don't want to continue flaming.

\o/

> I think I explained myself perfectly clear and even proposed specific
> exclusion from the rule that cover all previous cases.

This is precisely the point: You came up with 8 lines of text *without*
covering all previous cases.  This is why I prefer to leave the rule a
little bit more fuzzy and flexible.

Let's see..

  We don't remove features unless:
  a) They are ugly hacks that bloat the code and make it hard to maintain.
  b) They are broken. They doesn't work as expected or work only in few
     cases. Probably because of a)
  c) Nobody uses them, Probably because they are obsolate and because of
     a),b).
  d) Nobody maintain them, nobody is interested in fixing them or
     implementing them in the right way. Probably because a),b),c).

The CPU speed detection code does not fit any of those categories, since

a) It was little code in a part that does not need (much) maintenance.
b) It was buggy for some people, but not completely.
c) It was used on every MPlayer run, though with doubtful utility.
d) There was no need for maintenance.

Yet it was removed nonetheless (and no, let us _please_ not restart the
discussion about whether this was right or wrong).

My point is that your list is long but not more precise than mine that
leaves conditions open.  IMO that's just bloating the rules for no
perceptual gain.

> I also would like to keep the old form until final decision is made.
> With consensus from all developers and approved by project leader.

As I said, feel free to gather other voices.  So far nobody has stepped
up on your behalf.  This means that the others either

- agree
- don't care (enough)

both of which would imply that my proposed change cannot have been *that
far* off the mark.

Diego