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From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
To: Linus Arver <linusa@google.com>
Cc: Linus Arver via GitGitGadget <gitgitgadget@gmail.com>,
	git@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2 5/5] SubmittingPatches: simplify guidance for choosing a starting point
Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2023 21:41:06 -0700	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <xmqqwmynffod.fsf@gitster.g> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <owlyy1j3fo8d.fsf@fine.c.googlers.com> (Linus Arver's message of "Tue, 25 Jul 2023 18:36:18 -0700")

Linus Arver <linusa@google.com> writes:

>>  * An very old but still severe bug in tagged versions would want to
>>    be fixed ideally not on top of 'maint' but on top of the latest
>>    tagged version in the same maintenance track.  E.g. if the commit
>>    X introduced the bug, you may ask "git describe --contains X" the
>>    oldest version the commit appears in, say "v2.30.0-rc2-gXXXXXX".
>>    Then you would run "git checkout -b fix v2.30.9" to start the
>>    branch to fix it.
>
> In this example, are we using v2.30.9 as a starting point, not v2.30.0
> because v2.30.9 is the latest tagged version that is in 'maint'? 

Yes, the example assumes that the last maintenance release for
v2.30.x series is v2.30.9.  But this kind of fix happening is
sufficiently rare and I do not think regular contributors should
have to worry too much about it.  If the affected area had tons of
changes between v2.30.9 and 'master', a fix on such an old base
would require a lot of work merging upwards, adjusting to newer
codebase, and it only makes sense to go that length for high value
fixes (aka "security patch").  The rules that apply for such a fix
would be vastly different (e.g. the review may be done behind closed
doors with small number of reviewers, not on the public list).

> I think this nugget of knowledge should be included in a v3 of this
> series. Will update.

So, while it may help improve understanding of the philosophy behind
the regular procedure to know, I am not sure it is worth spending a
lot of lines to describe it when we are giving a piece of advice for
general "bugfix and/or new development".  Some bugs are simply not
worth the trouble of going back for more than two maintenance
tracks to fix.

Thanks.




  parent reply	other threads:[~2023-07-26  4:41 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 38+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2023-07-08  1:05 [PATCH 0/5] SubmittingPatches: clarify which branch to use Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-08  1:05 ` [PATCH 1/5] SubmittingPatches: reword awkward phrasing Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-08  5:37   ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-08  1:05 ` [PATCH 2/5] SubmittingPatches: be more explicit Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-08  5:36   ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-13 21:03     ` Linus Arver
2023-07-13 21:10       ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-08  1:05 ` [PATCH 3/5] SubmittingPatches: discuss subsystems separately from git.git Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-08  1:05 ` [PATCH 4/5] SubmittingPatches: remove confusing guidance about base branches Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-08  5:48   ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-13 21:54     ` Linus Arver
2023-07-08  1:05 ` [PATCH 5/5] SubmittingPatches: define topic branches Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01 ` [PATCH v2 0/5] SubmittingPatches: clarify which branch to use Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01   ` [PATCH v2 1/5] SubmittingPatches: reword awkward phrasing Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01   ` [PATCH v2 2/5] SubmittingPatches: discuss subsystems separately from git.git Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01   ` [PATCH v2 3/5] SubmittingPatches: de-emphasize branches as starting points Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01   ` [PATCH v2 4/5] SubmittingPatches: emphasize need to communicate non-default " Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14  6:01   ` [PATCH v2 5/5] SubmittingPatches: simplify guidance for choosing a starting point Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-14 17:31     ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-26  1:36       ` Linus Arver
2023-07-26  2:31         ` Linus Arver
2023-07-26  4:41         ` Junio C Hamano [this message]
2023-07-26  3:04   ` [PATCH v3 0/5] SubmittingPatches: clarify which branch to use Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  3:04     ` [PATCH v3 1/5] SubmittingPatches: reword awkward phrasing Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  3:04     ` [PATCH v3 2/5] SubmittingPatches: discuss subsystems separately from git.git Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  3:04     ` [PATCH v3 3/5] SubmittingPatches: de-emphasize branches as starting points Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  3:05     ` [PATCH v3 4/5] SubmittingPatches: emphasize need to communicate non-default " Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  3:05     ` [PATCH v3 5/5] SubmittingPatches: simplify guidance for choosing a starting point Linus Arver via GitGitGadget
2023-07-26  5:15     ` [PATCH v3 0/5] SubmittingPatches: clarify which branch to use Junio C Hamano
2023-07-26 17:19       ` Linus Arver
2023-07-26  5:16     ` [PATCH v3 6/5] SubmittingPatches: choice of base for fixing an older maintenance track Junio C Hamano
2023-07-26  5:40       ` Eric Sunshine
2023-07-26 16:36         ` Junio C Hamano
2023-07-26  5:17     ` [PATCH 7/5] SubmittingPatches: explain why 'next' and above are inappropriate base Junio C Hamano
2023-07-27 19:26       ` Linus Arver
2023-07-26  5:21     ` [PATCH 8/5] SubmittingPatches: use of older maintenance tracks is an exception Junio C Hamano
2023-07-27 19:35       ` Linus Arver
2023-07-27 20:08         ` Junio C Hamano

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