> Oh great, not yet-another-kernel-tree, just what the world needs...
>
> Yes, this is an announcement of a new kernel tree, linux-staging. It is
> a quilt series of patches that can be found at:
> git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/gregkh/staging.git
>
>
> In a long and meandering thread with some of the other kernel developers
> a week or so ago, it came up that there is no single place for companies
> and developers to put their code for testing while it gets cleaned up
> for submission into the kernel tree. All of the different subsystems
> have trees, but they generally only want code that is about to go into
> this release, or the next one. For stuff that is farther off, there is
> no place to go.
>
> So, here's the tree for it. From the README:
>
> PURPOSE
>
> The linux-staging tree was created to hold drivers and filesystems and
> other semi-major additions to the Linux kernel that are not ready to be
> merged at this point in time. It is here for companies and authors to
> get a wider range of testing, and to allow for other members of the
> community to help with the development of these features for the
> eventual inclusion into the main kernel tree.
>
> This tree will be included in the daily linux-next builds, and will get
> testing by all users of that tree.
>
> The rules of what can be included here is as follows:
> - the code must be released under a Linux kernel-compatible
> license
> - the goal of the developers must be to merge this code into the
> main kernel tree in the near future, but not for the next
> kernel release.
> - the code must build properly on the x86 platform
> - this is not a tree for bugfixes or rewrites of existing kernel
> code, this should be for new features, drivers, and
> filesystems.
> - the patches included must detail exactly what is needed to be
> completed in order for them to be included into the main
> kernel tree.
> - there must be some email address associated with the patch
> that can be used for bug reporting and questions about
> cleanups and testing the code.
>
> What this tree is not:
> - it is not a place to dump features that are being actively
> developed by a community of people (reiserfs4 for example.)
> - it is not a place to dump code and then run away, hoping that
> someone else will do the cleanup work for you. While there
> are developers available to do this kind of work, you need to
> get someone to agree to "babysit" the code.
>
>
> I'll follow up this message with a list of the current status of the
> individual patches and what is currently contained in the tree. I hope
> to release a status like this every week or so, depending on how the
> development goes.
>
> What I need from all of you:
> Kernel Janitors:
> Here is the perfect way to get involved. The code in this tree
> is in desparate need of cleanups and fixes that can be trivially
> found using 'sparse' and 'scripts/checkpatch.pl'. I'll gladly
> take these kinds of patches and of course, correctly credit you.
>
> Linux driver project developers:
> Same as above, here's a great place to start out helping with
> real code. If any of you wants to take any of these drivers
> over and become the primary contact point for them, just let me
> know.
>
> Linux-next developers:
> Stephen, I would really like this tree to be included in -next.
> Yes, I know it contains things that will not be included in the
> next release, but the inclusion and basic build testing that is
> provided by your tree is invaluable. You can place it at the
> end, and if there is even a whiff of a problem in any of the
> patches, you have my full permission to drop them on the floor
> and run away screaming (and let me know please, so I can fix it
> up.)
>
> Linux kernel developers:
> If there are any external patches floating around for drivers
> that need to be cleaned up and gotten into the kernel tree,
> please point them out to me and I'll be glad to add them to this
> tree and work to get them included. Right now we are pushing:
> - 192 files changed, 131073 insertions(+), 651 deletions(-)
> so what's a few more thousand lines of code :)
>
> Any questions? Comments?
>
> thanks,
>
> greg k-h
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