> > the patch inflow to the guix repo is currently overwhelming the
> > available capacity for review and pushing.
>
>
> With an email like the one sent by Hartmut we can better arrange for
> shepherding this large submission. (Nothing is to be gained from
> repeatedly bemoaning well-known issues in the patch review processes
> here and in other threads on the mailing list.)
i was reflecting on why i wrote this, and what i wanted to express is that i
think guix has reached a point where a monorepo is becoming a net negative, and
i don't see this being discussed.
my gut feeling is that new abstractions are needed that would enable splitting
the monorepo/community into less tightly coupled subgroups where they can have
their own coding standards, repos, channels, etc, and a more federated way to
maintain/integrate all the software that exists out there into a guix system.
in this hypothetical setup commit rights could be issued much more liberally to
non-core sub-repos, and more rigorous code reviews would only need to be done
when a new version of the split-out part is being incorporated back into a new
revision of the core/bootstrap chain (if e.g. assuming python is needed for the
bootstrap of the core, then the python subgroup's stuff would only need core
review when a new version of that is pointed to by the core).
or alternatively, simply try to split guix into a minimal core that is
essential for the bootstrap, and everything else into multiple subchannels
(gnome, gui stuff in general, random apps, etc). i have no impression how much
that alone could shrink the monorepo part, though.
channels are a step towards this, but they are not enough in their current form
to successfully accommodate for such a setup. an obvious thing that is missing
is a way to formally express inter-channel dependencies, including some form of
versioning.
sadly, i don't have any proposals beyond discussing the observable issue (i.e.
the insufficient patch throughput).
--
• attila lendvai
• PGP: 963F 5D5F 45C7 DFCD 0A39
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“Values in a free society are accepted voluntarily, not through coercion, and
certainly not by law… every time we write a law to control private behavior, we
imply that somebody has to arrive with a gun [to enforce it].”
— Ron Paul
