[MPlayer-dev-eng] [RFC] Policy update

[Uoti Urpala]

On Sat, 2006-10-07 at 18:04 +0200, Roberto Togni wrote:
> attached a proposed update for MPlayer policy, based on many events
> from the last months.

> +12. Always send a patch to mplayer-dev-eng mailing list before committing if
> +    you suspect that the change is going to be controversial. Based on past
> +    experience, at least these changes are controversial:

I don't oppose a guideline about mailing list discussion for changes
which are believed to be controversial (with some consideration given to
the size and risk of the change - changes which are easy to revert and
cannot cause serious breakage need less guarantee of consensus before
applying). However the timing of this proposal combined with your cvslog
mail suggests that you think my VIDIX message removal would have
violated your proposed addition. I disagree: there was no reason to
believe the change itself was controversial, and I've seen so reason to
doubt the correctness of that decision afterwards either. You seem to
have neither any argument against the patch itself nor a reason to
believe that someone else would have one.

In summary I might not object to this if it's interpreted in the way I
would interpret it; but if you mean a different interpretation which
would be against for example the VIDIX commit then I do object.

> +13. Try to keep important discussions and requests (also) on mplayer-dev-eng
> +    mailinglist, so that all developers can benefit from them.
> +    Irc is good for quick discussions, but nodoby is there 24/7

This is too vague, at least if you mean it to include something which
isn't already being done. Obviously it's good if important information
that should be known by all developers is available on the mailing list.
However just what is "important discussion"? And the "discussion" part
can in some cases be more practically done on IRC, even if a summary is
posted on the mailing list afterwards. You said this was based "on many
events from the last months"; what would be examples of important things
that should have been posted on the mailing list?