[webkit-dev] Pulling together on WebKit Mobile

[Oliver Hunt]

> I have no problems with the commit requirements for the main tree.
> This is more about a collaboration area.
> It make more sense for WebKit.org to host a collaboration area.
>
> And its a good way to allow developers to build up a work history to
> ask for main commit rights.
>
> Its a public work area and why would it effect eventual mainline
> submissions if the code is crufty its rejected.

Why can't http://bugs.webkit.org be used for this?  It's what we've  
been using for
what, 3 years now? 4?

bugs.w.o has a single major advantage over git: it allows actual  
communication -- making code available != communication -- b.w.o  
allows you to place updated patches, respond to feedback, and get  
feedback in one location that provides both an archive and locality.   
Afaict the git "equivalent" is to discuss your patch out of band in a  
mailing list, most likely including the original patch in the mail --  
so patch discussion still happens outside of git, and later when  
someone comes back to see why decisions were made in a specific patch  
they have to search for scattered posts in a mailing list to try and  
find those emails discussing that patch.

I'm also unsure how you expect this to help contributors gain  
credibility -- the mechanisms by which this happens, and how commit  
rights, etc are developed are well disclosed on webkit.org.  I don't  
see how git would help this -- an ability to write code is only part  
of the requirements, a developer needs to demonstrate good  
communication skills, and an ability to respond to feedback, etc.   
Working outside of b.w.o removes a number of avenues of real  
discussion and record so to me would seem more likely to hinder the  
credibility of a developer rather than help it.

>
> I have a patch for example to allow the gtk webkit to run on OSX. But
> its a workaround for a bug in the cairo OSX port.
> I'd like to be able to get the patch public and work with the cairo
> OSX port maintainer to explain why I did what I did
> and what he could do to cairo to fix OSX cairo.
>
> Without a public work area this sort of problem is difficult to  
> work on.
> Assuming cairo is fixed then we would need to figure out version info
> for the OSX port of GTK etc etc.
>
> Being able to run the OSX port and the gtk port at the same time on
> OSX is a nice feature.
> Other open source ports such as QT might want a similar workspace for
> similar problems.
>
> As of now the patch sits in my git tree unsubmitted.

I fail to see why this patch could not just be placed in b.w.o as  
with any other feature or bugfix patch

--Oliver