[Python-Dev] We should be using a tool for code reviews (original) (raw)

Jesse Noller jnoller at gmail.com
Thu Sep 30 16:56:56 CEST 2010

On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 10:52 AM, <exarkun at twistedmatrix.com> wrote:

On 02:47 pm, jnoller at gmail.com wrote:

On Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 2:32 PM, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:

I would like to recommend that the Python core developers start using a code review tool such as Rietveld or Reviewboard. I don't really care which tool we use (I'm sure there are plenty of pros and cons to each) but I do think we should get out of the stone age and start using a tool for the majority of our code reviews. While I would personally love to see Rietveld declared the official core Python code review tool, I realize that since I wrote as a Google engineer and it is running on Google infrastructure (App Engine), I can't be fully objective about the tool choice -- even though it is open source, has several non-Googler maintainers, and can be run outside App Engine as well. But I do think that using a specialized code review tool rather than unstructured email plus a general-purpose issue tracker can hugely improve developer performance and also increase community participation. (A code review tool makes it much more convenient for a senior reviewer to impart their wisdom to a junior developer without appearing judgmental or overbearing.) See also this buzz thread: http://www.google.com/buzz/115212051037621986145/At6Rj82Kret/When- will-the-Python-dev-community-start-using -- --Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido) Regardless of the tool(s) used, code reviews are a fantastic equalizer. If you have long time, experienced developers "submitting" to the same rules that newer contributors have to follow then it helps remove the idea that there is special treatment occurring. Of course, this is only true if the core developers do submit to the same rules.  Is anyone proposing that current core committers have all their work reviewed before it is accepted? (I am strongly in favor of this, but I don't think many core committers are.) Jean-Paul

I'll propose it, knowing full well I won't win. Code reviews have saved my bacon on numerous occasions. The best unit tests on the planet won't protect you against a fundamentally bad assumption or logic error. Like I said - I think it helps "equalize" things. YMMV.

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