Add the development process document

This is an extended document intended to help interested developers, their
managers, and their employers work with the kernel development process.

This work was supported by the Linux Foundation.

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>

9 files changed, 2042 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/Documentation/00-INDEX b/Documentation/00-INDEX
index 5b5aba404aa..1f3dbdfc9ae 100644
--- a/Documentation/00-INDEX
+++ b/Documentation/00-INDEX
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ Changes
 	- list of changes that break older software packages.
 CodingStyle
 	- how the boss likes the C code in the kernel to look.
+development-process/
+	- An extended tutorial on how to work with the kernel development
+	  process.
 DMA-API.txt
 	- DMA API, pci_ API & extensions for non-consistent memory machines.
 DMA-ISA-LPC.txt
diff --git a/Documentation/development-process/1.Intro b/Documentation/development-process/1.Intro
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8cc2cba2b10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/development-process/1.Intro
@@ -0,0 +1,274 @@
+1: A GUIDE TO THE KERNEL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
+
+The purpose of this document is to help developers (and their managers)
+work with the development community with a minimum of frustration.  It is
+an attempt to document how this community works in a way which is
+accessible to those who are not intimately familiar with Linux kernel
+development (or, indeed, free software development in general).  While
+there is some technical material here, this is very much a process-oriented
+discussion which does not require a deep knowledge of kernel programming to
+understand.
+
+
+1.1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
+
+The rest of this section covers the scope of the kernel development process
+and the kinds of frustrations that developers and their employers can
+encounter there.  There are a great many reasons why kernel code should be
+merged into the official ("mainline") kernel, including automatic
+availability to users, community support in many forms, and the ability to
+influence the direction of kernel development.  Code contributed to the
+Linux kernel must be made available under a GPL-compatible license.
+
+Section 2 introduces the development process, the kernel release cycle, and
+the mechanics of the merge window.  The various phases in the patch
+development, review, and merging cycle are covered.  There is some
+discussion of tools and mailing lists.  Developers wanting to get started
+with kernel development are encouraged to track down and fix bugs as an
+initial exercise.
+
+Section 3 covers early-stage project planning, with an emphasis on
+involving the development community as soon as possible.
+
+Section 4 is about the coding process; several pitfalls which have been
+encountered by other developers are discussed.  Some requirements for
+patches are covered, and there is an introduction to some of the tools
+which can help to ensure that kernel patches are correct.
+
+Section 5 talks about the process of posting patches for review.  To be
+taken seriously by the development community, patches must be properly
+formatted and described, and they must be sent to the right place.
+Following the advice in this section should help to ensure the best
+possible reception for your work.
+
+Section 6 covers what happens after posting patches; the job is far from
+done at that point.  Working with reviewers is a crucial part of the
+development process; this section offers a number of tips on how to avoid
+problems at this important stage.  Developers are cautioned against
+assuming that the job is done when a patch is merged into the mainline.
+
+Section 7 introduces a couple of "advanced" topics: managing patches with
+git and reviewing patches posted by others.
+
+Section 8 concludes the document with pointers to sources for more
+information on kernel development.
+
+
+1.2: WHAT THIS DOCUMENT IS ABOUT
+
+The Linux kernel, at over 6 million lines of code and well over 1000 active
+contributors, is one of the largest and most active free software projects
+in existence.  Since its humble beginning in 1991, this kernel has evolved
+into a best-of-breed operating system component which runs on pocket-sized
+digital music players, desktop PCs, the largest supercomputers in
+existence, and all types of systems in between.  It is a robust, efficient,
+and scalable solution for almost any situation.
+
+With the growth of Linux has come an increase in the number of developers
+(and companies) wishing to participate in its development.  Hardware
+vendors want to ensure that Linux supports their products well, making
+those products attractive to Linux users.  Embedded systems vendors, who
+use Linux as a component in an integrated product, want Linux to be as
+capable and well-suited to the task at hand as possible.  Distributors and
+other software vendors who base their products on Linux have a clear
+interest in the capabilities, performance, and reliability of the Linux
+kernel.  And end users, too, will often wish to change Linux to make it
+better suit their needs.
+
+One of the most compelling features of Linux is that it is accessible to
+these developers; anybody with the requisite skills can improve Linux and
+influence the direction of its development.  Proprietary products cannot
+offer this kind of openness, which is a characteristic of the free software
+process.  But, if anything, the kernel is even more open than most other
+free software projects.  A typical three-month kernel development cycle can
+involve over 1000 developers working for more than 100 different companies
+(or for no company at all).
+
+Working with the kernel development community is not especially hard.  But,
+that notwithstanding, many potential contributors have experienced
+difficulties when trying to do kernel work.  The kernel community has
+evolved its own distinct ways of operating which allow it to function
+smoothly (and produce a high-quality product) in an environment where
+thousands of lines of code are being changed every day.  So it is not
+surprising that Linux kernel development process differs greatly from
+proprietary development methods.
+
+The kernel's development process may come across as strange and
+intimidating to new developers, but there are good reasons and solid
+experience behind it.  A developer who does not understand the kernel
+community's ways (or, worse, who tries to flout or circumvent them) will
+have a frustrating experience in store.  The development community, while
+being helpful to those who are trying to learn, has little time for those
+who will not listen or who do not care about the development process.
+
+It is hoped that those who read this document will be able to avoid that
+frustrating experience.  There is a lot of material here, but the effort
+involved in reading it will be repaid in short order.  The development
+community is always in need of developers who will help to make the kernel
+better; the following text should help you - or those who work for you -
+join our community.
+
+
+1.3: CREDITS
+
+This document was written by Jonathan Corbet, corbet@lwn.net.  It has been
+improved by comments from Johannes Berg, James Berry, Alex Chiang, Roland
+Dreier, Randy Dunlap, Jake Edge, Jiri Kosina, Matt Mackall, Arthur Marsh,
+Amanda McPherson, Andrew Morton, Andrew Price, Tsugikazu Shibata, and
+Jochen Voß. 
+
+This work was supported by the Linux Foundation; thanks especially to
+Amanda McPherson, who saw the value of this effort and made it all happen.
+
+
+1.4: THE IMPORTANCE OF GETTING CODE INTO THE MAINLINE
+
+Some companies and developers occasionally wonder why they should bother
+learning how to work with the kernel community and get their code into the
+mainline kernel (the "mainline" being the kernel maintained by Linus
+Torvalds and used as a base by Linux distributors).  In the short term,
+contributing code can look like an avoidable expense; it seems easier to
+just keep the code separate and support users directly.  The truth of the
+matter is that keeping code separate ("out of tree") is a false economy.
+
+As a way of illustrating the costs of out-of-tree code, here are a few
+relevant aspects of the kernel development process; most of these will be
+discussed in greater detail later in this document.  Consider:
+
+- Code which has been merged into the mainline kernel is available to all
+  Linux users.  It will automatically be present on all distributions which
+  enable it.  There is no need for driver disks, downloads, or the hassles
+  of supporting multiple versions of multiple distributions; it all just
+  works, for the developer and for the user.  Incorporation into the
+  mainline solves a large number of distribution and support problems.
+
+- While kernel developers strive to maintain a stable interface to user
+  space, the internal kernel API is in constant flux.  The lack of a stable
+  internal interface is a deliberate design decision; it allows fundamental
+  improvements to be made at any time and results in higher-quality code.
+  But one result of that policy is that any out-of-tree code requires
+  constant upkeep if it is to work with new kernels.  Maintaining
+  out-of-tree code requires significant amounts of work just to keep that
+  code working.
+
+  Code which is in the mainline, instead, does not require this work as the
+  result of a simple rule requiring any developer who makes an API change
+  to also fix any code that breaks as the result of that change.  So code
+  which has been merged into the mainline has significantly lower
+  maintenance costs.
+
+- Beyond that, code which is in the kernel will often be improved by other
+  developers.  Surprising results can come from empowering your user
+  community and customers to improve your product.
+
+- Kernel code is subjected to review, both before and after merging into
+  the mainline.  No matter how strong the original developer's skills are,
+  this review process invariably finds ways in which the code can be
+  improved.  Often review finds severe bugs and security problems.  This is
+  especially true for code which has been developed in a closed
+  environment; such code benefits strongly from review by outside
+  developers.  Out-of-tree code is lower-quality code.
+
+- Participation in the development process is your way to influence the
+  direction of kernel development.  Users who complain from the sidelines
+  are heard, but active developers have a stronger voice - and the ability
+  to implement changes which make the kernel work better for their needs.
+
+- When code is maintained separately, the possibility that a third party
+  will contribute a different implementation of a similar feature always
+  exists.  Should that happen, getting your code merged will become much
+  harder - to the point of impossibility.  Then you will be faced with the
+  unpleasant alternatives of either (1) maintaining a nonstandard feature
+  out of tree indefinitely, or (2) abandoning your code and migrating your
+  users over to the in-tree version.
+
+- Contribution of code is the fundamental action which makes the whole
+  process work.  By contributing your code you can add new functionality to
+  the kernel and provide capabilities and examples which are of use to
+  other kernel developers.  If you have developed code for Linux (or are
+  thinking about doing so), you clearly have an interest in the continued
+  success of this platform; contributing code is one of the best ways to
+  help ensure that success.
+
+All of the reasoning above applies to any out-of-tree kernel code,
+including code which is distributed in proprietary, binary-only form.
+There are, however, additional factors which should be taken into account
+before considering any sort of binary-only kernel code distribution.  These
+include:
+
+- The legal issues around the distribution of proprietary kernel modules
+  are cloudy at best; quite a few kernel copyright holders believe that
+  most binary-only modules are derived products of the kernel and that, as
+  a result, their distribution is a violation of the GNU General Public
+  license (about which more will be said below).  Your author is not a
+  lawyer, and nothing in this document can possibly be considered to be
+  legal advice.  The true legal status of closed-source modules can only be
+  determined by the courts.  But the uncertainty which haunts those modules
+  is there regardless.
+
+- Binary modules greatly increase the difficulty of debugging kernel
+  problems, to the point that most kernel developers will not even try.  So
+  the distribution of binary-only modules will make it harder for your
+  users to get support from the community.
+
+- Support is also harder for distributors of binary-only modules, who must
+  provide a version of the module for every distribution and every kernel
+  version they wish to support.  Dozens of builds of a single module can
+  be required to provide reasonably comprehensive coverage, and your users
+  will have to upgrade your module separately every time they upgrade their
+  kernel.
+
+- Everything that was said above about code review applies doubly to
+  closed-source code.  Since this code is not available at all, it cannot
+  have been reviewed by the community and will, beyond doubt, have serious
+  problems. 
+
+Makers of embedded systems, in particular, may be tempted to disregard much
+of what has been said in this section in the belief that they are shipping
+a self-contained product which uses a frozen kernel version and requires no
+more development after its release.  This argument misses the value of
+widespread code review and the value of allowing your users to add
+capabilities to your product.  But these products, too, have a limited
+commercial life, after which a new version must be released.  At that
+point, vendors whose code is in the mainline and well maintained will be
+much better positioned to get the new product ready for market quickly.
+
+
+1.5: LICENSING
+
+Code is contributed to the Linux kernel under a number of licenses, but all
+code must be compatible with version 2 of the GNU General Public License
+(GPLv2), which is the license covering the kernel distribution as a whole.
+In practice, that means that all code contributions are covered either by
+GPLv2 (with, optionally, language allowing distribution under later
+versions of the GPL) or the three-clause BSD license.  Any contributions
+which are not covered by a compatible license will not be accepted into the
+kernel.
+
+Copyright assignments are not required (or requested) for code contributed
+to the kernel.  All code merged into the mainline kernel retains its
+original ownership; as a result, the kernel now has thousands of owners.
+
+One implication of this ownership structure is that any attempt to change
+the licensing of the kernel is doomed to almost certain failure.  There are
+few practical scenarios where the agreement of all copyright holders could
+be obtained (or their code removed from the kernel).  So, in particular,
+there is no prospect of a migration to version 3 of the GPL in the
+foreseeable future.
+
+It is imperative that all code contributed to the kernel be legitimately
+free software.  For that reason, code from anonymous (or pseudonymous)
+contributors will not be accepted.  All contributors are required to "sign
+off" on their code, stating that the code can be distributed with the
+kernel under the GPL.  Code which has not been licensed as free software by
+its owner, or which risks creating copyright-related problems for the
+kernel (such as code which derives from reverse-engineering efforts lacking
+proper safeguards) cannot be contributed.
+
+Questions about copyright-related issues are common on Linux development
+mailing lists.  Such questions will normally receive no shortage of
+answers, but one should bear in mind that the people answering those
+questions are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice.  If you have
+legal questions relating to Linux source code, there is no substitute for
+talking with a lawyer who understands this field.  Relying on answers
+obtained on technical mailing lists is a risky affair.
diff --git a/Documentation/development-process/2.Process b/Documentation/development-process/2.Process
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..d750321acd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/development-process/2.Process
@@ -0,0 +1,459 @@
+2: HOW THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS WORKS
+
+Linux kernel development in the early 1990's was a pretty loose affair,
+with relatively small numbers of users and developers involved.  With a
+user base in the millions and with some 2,000 developers involved over the
+course of one year, the kernel has since had to evolve a number of
+processes to keep development happening smoothly.  A solid understanding of
+how the process works is required in order to be an effective part of it.
+
+
+2.1: THE BIG PICTURE
+
+The kernel developers use a loosely time-based release process, with a new
+major kernel release happening every two or three months.  The recent
+release history looks like this:
+
+	2.6.26	July 13, 2008
+	2.6.25	April 16, 2008
+	2.6.24	January 24, 2008
+	2.6.23	October 9, 2007
+	2.6.22	July 8, 2007
+	2.6.21	April 25, 2007
+	2.6.20	February 4, 2007
+
+Every 2.6.x release is a major kernel release with new features, internal
+API changes, and more.  A typical 2.6 release can contain over 10,000
+changesets with changes to several hundred thousand lines of code.  2.6 is
+thus the leading edge of Linux kernel development; the kernel uses a
+rolling development model which is continually integrating major changes.
+
+A relatively straightforward discipline is followed with regard to the
+merging of patches for each release.  At the beginning of each development
+cycle, the "merge window" is said to be open.  At that time, code which is
+deemed to be sufficiently stable (and which is accepted by the development
+community) is merged into the mainline kernel.  The bulk of changes for a
+new development cycle (and all of the major changes) will be merged during
+this time, at a rate approaching 1,000 changes ("patches," or "changesets")
+per day.
+
+(As an aside, it is worth noting that the changes integrated during the
+merge window do not come out of thin air; they have been collected, tested,
+and staged ahead of time.  How that process works will be described in
+detail later on).
+
+The merge window lasts for two weeks.  At the end of this time, Linus
+Torvalds will declare that the window is closed and release the first of
+the "rc" kernels.  For the kernel which is destined to be 2.6.26, for
+example, the release which happens at the end of the merge window will be
+called 2.6.26-rc1.  The -rc1 release is the signal that the time to merge
+new features has passed, and that the time to stabilize the next kernel has
+begun.
+
+Over the next six to ten weeks, only patches which fix problems should be
+submitted to the mainline.  On occasion a more significant change will be
+allowed, but such occasions are rare; developers who try to merge new
+features outside of the merge window tend to get an unfriendly reception.
+As a general rule, if you miss the merge window for a given feature, the
+best thing to do is to wait for the next development cycle.  (An occasional
+exception is made for drivers for previously-unsupported hardware; if they
+touch no in-tree code, they cannot cause regressions and should be safe to
+add at any time).
+
+As fixes make their way into the mainline, the patch rate will slow over
+time.  Linus releases new -rc kernels about once a week; a normal series
+will get up to somewhere between -rc6 and -rc9 before the kernel is
+considered to be sufficiently stable and the final 2.6.x release is made.
+At that point the whole process starts over again.
+
+As an example, here is how the 2.6.25 development cycle went (all dates in
+2008): 
+
+	January 24	2.6.24 stable release
+	February 10	2.6.25-rc1, merge window closes
+	February 15	2.6.25-rc2
+	February 24	2.6.25-rc3
+	March 4	 	2.6.25-rc4
+	March 9		2.6.25-rc5
+	March 16	2.6.25-rc6
+	March 25	2.6.25-rc7
+	April 1		2.6.25-rc8
+	April 11	2.6.25-rc9
+	April 16	2.6.25 stable release
+
+How do the developers decide when to close the development cycle and create
+the stable release?  The most significant metric used is the list of
+regressions from previous releases.  No bugs are welcome, but those which
+break systems which worked in the past are considered to be especially
+serious.  For this reason, patches which cause regressions are looked upon
+unfavorably and are quite likely to be reverted during the stabilization
+period. 
+
+The developers' goal is to fix all known regressions before the stable
+release is made.  In the real world, this kind of perfection is hard to
+achieve; there are just too many variables in a project of this size.
+There comes a point where delaying the final release just makes the problem
+worse; the pile of changes waiting for the next merge window will grow
+larger, creating even more regressions the next time around.  So most 2.6.x
+kernels go out with a handful of known regressions though, hopefully, none
+of them are serious.
+
+Once a stable release is made, its ongoing maintenance is passed off to the
+"stable team," currently comprised of Greg Kroah-Hartman and Chris Wright.
+The stable team will release occasional updates to the stable release using
+the 2.6.x.y numbering scheme.  To be considered for an update release, a
+patch must (1) fix a significant bug, and (2) already be merged into the
+mainline for the next development kernel.  Continuing our 2.6.25 example,
+the history (as of this writing) is:
+
+	May 1		2.6.25.1
+	May 6		2.6.25.2 
+	May 9		2.6.25.3 
+	May 15		2.6.25.4
+	June 7		2.6.25.5
+	June 9		2.6.25.6
+	June 16		2.6.25.7
+	June 21		2.6.25.8
+	June 24		2.6.25.9
+
+Stable updates for a given kernel are made for approximately six months;
+after that, the maintenance of stable releases is solely the responsibility
+of the distributors which have shipped that particular kernel.
+
+
+2.2: THE LIFECYCLE OF A PATCH
+
+Patches do not go directly from the developer's keyboard into the mainline
+kernel.  There is, instead, a somewhat involved (if somewhat informal)
+process designed to ensure that each patch is reviewed for quality and that
+each patch implements a change which is desirable to have in the mainline.
+This process can happen quickly for minor fixes, or, in the case of large
+and controversial changes, go on for years.  Much developer frustration
+comes from a lack of understanding of this process or from attempts to
+circumvent it.  
+
+In the hopes of reducing that frustration, this document will describe how
+a patch gets into the kernel.  What follows below is an introduction which
+describes the process in a somewhat idealized way.  A much more detailed
+treatment will come in later sections.
+
+The stages that a patch goes through are, generally:
+
+ - Design.  This is where the real requirements for the patch - and the way
+   those requirements will be met - are laid out.  Design work is often
+   done without involving the community, but it is better to do this work
+   in the open if at all possible; it can save a lot of time redesigning
+   things later.
+
+ - Early review.  Patches are posted to the relevant mailing list, and
+   developers on that list reply with any comments they may have.  This
+   process should turn up any major problems with a patch if all goes
+   well.
+
+ - Wider review.  When the patch is getting close to ready for mainline
+   inclusion, it will be accepted by a relevant subsystem maintainer -
+   though this acceptance is not a guarantee that the patch will make it
+   all the way to the mainline.  The patch will show up in the maintainer's
+   subsystem tree and into the staging trees (described below).  When the
+   process works, this step leads to more extensive review of the patch and
+   the discovery of any problems resulting from the integration of this
+   patch with work being done by others.
+
+ - Merging into the mainline.  Eventually, a successful patch will be
+   merged into the mainline repository managed by Linus Torvalds.  More
+   comments and/or problems may surface at this time; it is important that
+   the developer be responsive to these and fix any issues which arise.
+
+ - Stable release.  The number of users potentially affected by the patch
+   is now large, so, once again, new problems may arise.
+
+ - Long-term maintenance.  While it is certainly possible for a developer
+   to forget about code after merging it, that sort of behavior tends to
+   leave a poor impression in the development community.  Merging code
+   eliminates some of the maintenance burden, in that others will fix
+   problems caused by API changes.  But the original developer should
+   continue to take responsibility for the code if it is to remain useful
+   in the longer term.
+
+One of the largest mistakes made by kernel developers (or their employers)
+is to try to cut the process down to a single "merging into the mainline"
+step.  This approach invariably leads to frustration for everybody
+involved.
+
+
+2.3: HOW PATCHES GET INTO THE KERNEL
+
+There is exactly one person who can merge patches into the mainline kernel
+repository: Linus Torvalds.  But, of the over 12,000 patches which went
+into the 2.6.25 kernel, only 250 (around 2%) were directly chosen by Linus
+himself.  The kernel project has long since grown to a size where no single
+developer could possibly inspect and select every patch unassisted.  The
+way the kernel developers have addressed this growth is through the use of
+a lieutenant system built around a chain of trust.
+
+The kernel code base is logically broken down into a set of subsystems:
+networking, specific architecture support, memory management, video
+devices, etc.  Most subsystems have a designated maintainer, a developer
+who has overall responsibility for the code within that subsystem.  These
+subsystem maintainers are the gatekeepers (in a loose way) for the portion
+of the kernel they manage; they are the ones who will (usually) accept a
+patch for inclusion into the mainline kernel.
+
+Subsystem maintainers each manage their own version of the kernel source
+tree, usually (but certainly not always) using the git source management
+tool.  Tools like git (and related tools like quilt or mercurial) allow
+maintainers to track a list of patches, including authorship information
+and other metadata.  At any given time, the maintainer can identify which
+patches in his or her repository are not found in the mainline.
+
+When the merge window opens, top-level maintainers will ask Linus to "pull"
+the patches they have selected for merging from their repositories.  If
+Linus agrees, the stream of patches will flow up into his repository,
+becoming part of the mainline kernel.  The amount of attention that Linus
+pays to specific patches received in a pull operation varies.  It is clear
+that, sometimes, he looks quite closely.  But, as a general rule, Linus
+trusts the subsystem maintainers to not send bad patches upstream.
+
+Subsystem maintainers, in turn, can pull patches from other maintainers.
+For example, the networking tree is built from patches which accumulated
+first in trees dedicated to network device drivers, wireless networking,
+etc.  This chain of repositories can be arbitrarily long, though it rarely
+exceeds two or three links.  Since each maintainer in the chain trusts
+those managing lower-level trees, this process is known as the "chain of
+trust." 
+
+Clearly, in a system like this, getting patches into the kernel depends on
+finding the right maintainer.  Sending patches directly to Linus is not
+normally the right way to go.
+
+
+2.4: STAGING TREES
+
+The chain of subsystem trees guides the flow of patches into the kernel,
+but it also raises an interesting question: what if somebody wants to look
+at all of the patches which are being prepared for the next merge window?
+Developers will be interested in what other changes are pending to see
+whether there are any conflicts to worry about; a patch which changes a
+core kernel function prototype, for example, will conflict with any other
+patches which use the older form of that function.  Reviewers and testers
+want access to the changes in their integrated form before all of those
+changes land in the mainline kernel.  One could pull changes from all of
+the interesting subsystem trees, but that would be a big and error-prone
+job.
+
+The answer comes in the form of staging trees, where subsystem trees are
+collected for testing and review.  The older of these trees, maintained by
+Andrew Morton, is called "-mm" (for memory management, which is how it got
+started).  The -mm tree integrates patches from a long list of subsystem
+trees; it also has some patches aimed at helping with debugging.  
+
+Beyond that, -mm contains a significant collection of patches which have
+been selected by Andrew directly.  These patches may have been posted on a
+mailing list, or they may apply to a part of the kernel for which there is
+no designated subsystem tree.  As a result, -mm operates as a sort of
+subsystem tree of last resort; if there is no other obvious path for a
+patch into the mainline, it is likely to end up in -mm.  Miscellaneous
+patches which accumulate in -mm will eventually either be forwarded on to
+an appropriate subsystem tree or be sent directly to Linus.  In a typical
+development cycle, approximately 10% of the patches going into the mainline
+get there via -mm.
+
+The current -mm patch can always be found from the front page of
+
+	http://kernel.org/
+
+Those who want to see the current state of -mm can get the "-mm of the
+moment" tree, found at:
+
+	http://userweb.kernel.org/~akpm/mmotm/
+
+Use of the MMOTM tree is likely to be a frustrating experience, though;
+there is a definite chance that it will not even compile.
+
+The other staging tree, started more recently, is linux-next, maintained by
+Stephen Rothwell.  The linux-next tree is, by design, a snapshot of what
+the mainline is expected to look like after the next merge window closes.
+Linux-next trees are announced on the linux-kernel and linux-next mailing
+lists when they are assembled; they can be downloaded from:
+
+	http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/sfr/linux-next/
+
+Some information about linux-next has been gathered at:
+
+	http://linux.f-seidel.de/linux-next/pmwiki/
+
+How the linux-next tree will fit into the development process is still
+changing.  As of this writing, the first full development cycle involving
+linux-next (2.6.26) is coming to an end; thus far, it has proved to be a
+valuable resource for finding and fixing integration problems before the
+beginning of the merge window.  See http://lwn.net/Articles/287155/ for
+more information on how linux-next has worked to set up the 2.6.27 merge
+window.
+
+Some developers have begun to suggest that linux-next should be used as the
+target for future development as well.  The linux-next tree does tend to be
+far ahead of the mainline and is more representative of the tree into which
+any new work will be merged.  The downside to this idea is that the
+volatility of linux-next tends to make it a difficult development target.
+See http://lwn.net/Articles/289013/ for more information on this topic, and
+stay tuned; much is still in flux where linux-next is involved.
+
+
+2.5: TOOLS
+
+As can be seen from the above text, the kernel development process depends
+heavily on the ability to herd collections of patches in various
+directions.  The whole thing would not work anywhere near as well as it
+does without suitably powerful tools.  Tutorials on how to use these tools
+are well beyond the scope of this document, but there is space for a few
+pointers.
+
+By far the dominant source code management system used by the kernel
+community is git.  Git is one of a number of distributed version control
+systems being developed in the free software community.  It is well tuned
+for kernel development, in that it performs quite well when dealing with
+large repositories and large numbers of patches.  It also has a reputation
+for being difficult to learn and use, though it has gotten better over
+time.  Some sort of familiarity with git is almost a requirement for kernel
+developers; even if they do not use it for their own work, they'll need git
+to keep up with what other developers (and the mainline) are doing.
+
+Git is now packaged by almost all Linux distributions.  There is a home
+page at 
+
+	http://git.or.cz/
+
+That page has pointers to documentation and tutorials.  One should be
+aware, in particular, of the Kernel Hacker's Guide to git, which has
+information specific to kernel development:
+
+	http://linux.yyz.us/git-howto.html
+
+Among the kernel developers who do not use git, the most popular choice is
+almost certainly Mercurial:
+
+	http://www.selenic.com/mercurial/
+
+Mercurial shares many features with git, but it provides an interface which
+many find easier to use.
+
+The other tool worth knowing about is Quilt:
+
+	http://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/quilt/
+
+Quilt is a patch management system, rather than a source code management
+system.  It does not track history over time; it is, instead, oriented
+toward tracking a specific set of changes against an evolving code base.
+Some major subsystem maintainers use quilt to manage patches intended to go
+upstream.  For the management of certain kinds of trees (-mm, for example),
+quilt is the best tool for the job.
+
+
+2.6: MAILING LISTS
+
+A great deal of Linux kernel development work is done by way of mailing
+lists.  It is hard to be a fully-functioning member of the community
+without joining at least one list somewhere.  But Linux mailing lists also
+represent a potential hazard to developers, who risk getting buried under a
+load of electronic mail, running afoul of the conventions used on the Linux
+lists, or both.
+
+Most kernel mailing lists are run on vger.kernel.org; the master list can
+be found at:
+
+	http://vger.kernel.org/vger-lists.html
+
+There are lists hosted elsewhere, though; a number of them are at
+lists.redhat.com.
+
+The core mailing list for kernel development is, of course, linux-kernel.
+This list is an intimidating place to be; volume can reach 500 messages per
+day, the amount of noise is high, the conversation can be severely
+technical, and participants are not always concerned with showing a high
+degree of politeness.  But there is no other place where the kernel
+development community comes together as a whole; developers who avoid this
+list will miss important information.
+
+There are a few hints which can help with linux-kernel survival:
+
+- Have the list delivered to a separate folder, rather than your main
+  mailbox.  One must be able to ignore the stream for sustained periods of
+  time.
+
+- Do not try to follow every conversation - nobody else does.  It is
+  important to filter on both the topic of interest (though note that
+  long-running conversations can drift away from the original subject
+  without changing the email subject line) and the people who are
+  participating.  
+
+- Do not feed the trolls.  If somebody is trying to stir up an angry
+  response, ignore them.
+
+- When responding to linux-kernel email (or that on other lists) preserve
+  the Cc: header for all involved.  In the absence of a strong reason (such
+  as an explicit request), you should never remove recipients.  Always make
+  sure that the person you are responding to is in the Cc: list.  This
+  convention also makes it unnecessary to explicitly ask to be copied on
+  replies to your postings.
+
+- Search the list archives (and the net as a whole) before asking
+  questions.  Some developers can get impatient with people who clearly
+  have not done their homework.
+
+- Avoid top-posting (the practice of putting your answer above the quoted
+  text you are responding to).  It makes your response harder to read and
+  makes a poor impression.
+
+- Ask on the correct mailing list.  Linux-kernel may be the general meeting
+  point, but it is not the best place to find developers from all
+  subsystems.
+
+The last point - finding the correct mailing list - is a common place for
+beginning developers to go wrong.  Somebody who asks a networking-related
+question on linux-kernel will almost certainly receive a polite suggestion
+to ask on the netdev list instead, as that is the list frequented by most
+networking developers.  Other lists exist for the SCSI, video4linux, IDE,
+filesystem, etc. subsystems.  The best place to look for mailing lists is
+in the MAINTAINERS file packaged with the kernel source.
+
+
+2.7: GETTING STARTED WITH KERNEL DEVELOPMENT
+
+Questions about how to get started with the kernel development process are
+common - from both individuals and companies.  Equally common are missteps
+which make the beginning of the relationship harder than it has to be.
+
+Companies often look to hire well-known developers to get a development
+group started.  This can, in fact, be an effective technique.  But it also
+tends to be expensive and does not do much to grow the pool of experienced
+kernel developers.  It is possible to bring in-house developers up to speed
+on Linux kernel development, given the investment of a bit of time.  Taking
+this time can endow an employer with a group of developers who understand
+the kernel and the company both, and who can help to train others as well.
+Over the medium term, this is often the more profitable approach.
+
+Individual developers are often, understandably, at a loss for a place to
+start.  Beginning with a large project can be intimidating; one often wants
+to test the waters with something smaller first.  This is the point where
+some developers jump into the creation of patches fixing spelling errors or
+minor coding style issues.  Unfortunately, such patches create a level of
+noise which is distracting for the development community as a whole, so,
+increasingly, they are looked down upon.  New developers wishing to
+introduce themselves to the community will not get the sort of reception
+they wish for by these means.
+
+Andrew Morton gives this advice for aspiring kernel developers
+
+	The #1 project for all kernel beginners should surely be "make sure
+	that the kernel runs perfectly at all times on all machines which
+	you can lay your hands on".  Usually the way to do this is to work
+	with others on getting things fixed up (this c