Re: [Caml-list] user contributions to the core OCaml distribution?

[Xavier Leroy <xavier.leroy@inria.fr>]

> I think, what is needed is that the ocaml developers give some
> guidelines on how we ``small'' ocaml users should proceed, if we
> want to contribute something to the ocaml kernel.

Here are some suggestions.

- Post your feature wish (or your patches, if you've already implemented
  the feature) to caml-bugs@inria.fr, not caml-list@inria.fr.
  Messages to caml-bugs are archived and tracked by our bug database,
  which has special categories for "feature wish" and "wish granted".
  In contrast, it's all too easy to overlook a message on caml-list,
  there are so many of them :-)

- Be explicit.  Use a descriptive "Subject" line, not just "feature wish".
  Explain why you need the feature, and what your patch actually does.

- If the patch is big (more than 100 lines), don't put it in the
  e-mail (the bug tracking system will truncate the message);
  put it on a Web or FTP server and include a URL.

- You can check the status of your (and others') wishes on the Web,
    http://caml.inria.fr/bin/caml-bugs/feature%20wish?user=guest

- Don't be disappointed if your wish or patch isn't incorporated in the
  OCaml working sources.  There might be several reasons for this:
  maybe we don't like the feature; maybe we like it but would
  implement it differently; maybe we have longer term plans to address
  the problem; maybe we have higher-priority stuff to deal with; etc.
  We (the core Caml development team) keep control on what gets in,
  Consortium or not.

In summary: we welcome users' input -- and a clear expression of a
need is as valuable to us as a patch -- but still follow a "cathedral"
model.

Hope this answers the question,

- Xavier Leroy
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