[Libreoffice] reviewboard: a solution or just creating new problems?

[Jani Monoses]

On 04/21/2011 07:17 PM, Bjoern Michaelsen wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I just want to bring up an idea of which I am not really sure if it is
> a good one. Currently we have new contributors writing patches to the
> dev-ML and grant them direct repository access later. Commiting
> directly on the master might be quite scary at first, so I wondered if
> something like:
>
>   http://www.reviewboard.org/
>
> might help the migration. It has a nifty interface (look at their
> page to get a sales pitch) and all that jazz, but:
> - it would be another system to setup and maintain
> - it would require its own logins (or integration in the existing infra)
> - lots of other things I have not considered yet.
>
> So -- I am not sure, if it is a good idea. I just wanted to get this
> of my chest, so that I wont be sorry later for not speaking up about it.

I think using code review helper apps is a great idea, and the lack of 
their use in any non-trivial FOSS project with many contributors will be 
in 5 years as perplexing as seeing one now going without the use version 
control software :)

I had used Gerrit a bit and I found it very nice. Easy to deploy (Java) 
I did not use Reviewboard so I cannot compare. Gerrit was made to work 
with git specifically and is used by the Android developer ecosystem.

There is some work to set up and to maintain, but I think commiters 
would be happy to be able to just Ack a patch in a web ui and have the 
commit happen automatically.
One drawback is the some of the feedback that now happens inline on the 
mailing list for all to learn from, would move to the webapp in merge 
request comments.
To a certain degree that would be similar to feedback that happens in 
bugzilla so maybe not a terrible loss. Very specific code related 
comments vs higher level discussion on the devel list.

I think having such a system set up in demo/trial mode would have a 
better chance of generating feedback.

Jani