[Boost-maint] Community Maintenance Team and neglected libraries

Subject: [Boost-maint] Community Maintenance Team and neglected libraries
From: Ben Pope (benpope81_at_[hidden])
Date: 2014-04-22 12:29:17

In case you haven't heard of the CMT:
https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/wiki/CommunityMaintenance

I'm also interested in getting the test results less yellow and more 
green, I don't have a lot of time, I'm sure I'm not alone.

There are quite a few places where the library code is probably fine, 
but the failure is in the test itself, the fix is often simple and 
uncontroversial.

Without picking on any particular library or author, here are some examples:

* Link the tests with boost::system
      http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.maint/92
* Merge existing fixes in develop to master
      http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.devel/250129
* Fight with casts
      http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lib.boost.devel/250143
* Disambiguate a type
      https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/9540

The responses have been frustrating to say the least, we really need a 
way to move forward on this.

These easy fixes should just happen; make a pull request, ticket with 
patch, whatever; commit goes in; reminder when tests have cycled; merged 
to master; profit.

The impact is clear: the test results are a mess -> spotting regressions 
is hard -> regressions are not spotted -> the tests results are a 
mess... And that says nothing of the unfair and unrepresentative 
impression of Boost that such a test matrix gives to potential users.

The most frustrating part is that people that are willing to help cannot.

As far as I can tell, the libraries that the maintenance team have 
commit privileges over are looking fantastic; I don't know if that is 
coincidence, but congratulations anyway.  How can they help further?

Nobody wants their code trampled all over, but some of these easy fixes 
are ignored for far too long.  If you are a library author who has 
failing tests and my title offends you, I succeeded :P.

Seriously though, I really have no interest in attacking any particular 
library or author here.  Failing tests affect everybody and we need a 
way to get them fixed without causing undue offence.

Discuss.

Ben