[boost] Lack of response to pull requests [resend]

Subject: [boost] Lack of response to pull requests [resend]
From: Beman Dawes (bdawes_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-05-12 13:05:56

IMO it should be a Boost policy that anyone who submits a pull request
deserves a response within a reasonable period of time.

*What is a "response"?*

GitHub pull requests have a "Comment" mechanism, so that's the best
mechanism as it ensures reaching the submitter even they don't read the
developer list. We also need to delineate some common responses, but that
can wait until the overall policy is agreed upon.

*What is a "reasonable period of time"?*

This may be a bit of a bike shed discussion since whatever we start with
may need adjustment based on experience. Would two weeks be a good starting
point?

*Who should step in if there is no response from the library maintainer?*

The Community Maintenance Team IMO is the logical choice. A pull request
that does not receive a timely response may be an early warning sign that
the library involved does not have an active maintainer. The CMT folks are
interested maintenance and already have processes to review pull requests.
This would be an expansion of their mandate, and details need to be worked
out such as what happens if the library maintainer is just busy at the
moment.

*What should the pull submitter do if there is no response within the
reasonable period of time?*
Send an email to the CMT pointing to the open pull request.

(It would be nice if the submitter didn't have to do anything, but that
implies the ability to monitor open pull requests. See "[GitHub] List open
pull requests for all libraries?")

Comments?

--Beman