[Python-Dev] Patch submitted, now what? (original) (raw)

"Martin v. Löwis" martin at v.loewis.de
Mon Jul 31 22:48:36 CEST 2006

Chad Whitacre schrieb:

[I notice that my message comes across pretty negative. In a single sentence: We are all volunteers with limited time, and we contribute to Python because its fun and because it helps us solve our own problems.]

Last week I submitted a patch (my first), and now I'm wondering what my expectations should be.

As a starting point, it would be better if you had provided the patch number (1528167) in this message. That makes it easier to answer the questions. [I didn't read until the end of the message yet]

Do I sit around and wait? How long?

It's a new feature, so it can't possibly get into Python 2.5. That means that no action is likely taken before October. It might take years until the patch gets considered. As others have mentioned, there are ways to expedite processing.

Do I notify this list?

If you want discussion of the patch, you can do that. Depending on how many people care about that aspect of Python, you may or may not get a response.

I personally don't see myself using $-interpolation in the next few years, so I doubt I will react in any way (the Python library would just be the same for me if that feature didn't exist, and your patch isn't a bug fix).

Others are more interested in the feature (or else it wouldn't have gotten into the standard library), so they might respond.

Do I notify a specific person, say, an author or reviewer of the original code I modified?

You might do that, although some may consider this at the edge of spamming.

Do I use SF's assignment mechanism?

Please don't. If your assignment is "incorrect", this is a guarantee that the patch will sit there forever: the person assigned won't react because he doesn't feel responsible if he isn't, and nobody else will feel responsible because the patch is assigned.

As Skip explains, I have a 5-for-1-rule for people who really want to push their patches: If you review 5 patches, I will review yours (despite me normally ignoring patches to this part of the library).

Regards, Martin

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