[RFC 0018] Moving forward RFCs

rfcs/0018-moving-rfcs.md

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+---
+feature: Moving forward RFCs
+start-date: 2017-10-15
+author: Leo Gaspard (@Ekleog)
+co-authors: (find a buddy later to help our with the RFC)
+related-issues: --
+---
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Decide whether the RFC should be merged or not when debate dries up.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+RFCs are currently in the following status:
+ * 4 waiting for something unknown (RFC5 reads as “ok to go” to me, RFC11 reads
+as mostly negative comments to me, RFC12 I am biased for being the author though
+I don't know what to do next for a decision to be reached, RFC17 looks “ok to
+go” to me),
+ * 4 waiting for the author (RFC3, RFC8, RFC14, RFC17),
+ * 2 accepted (RFC1 doesn't really count, RFC4, RFC15), and
+ * 2 stalled in debate (RFC9, RFC10))
+ * 1 closed (RFC6 which, incidentally, has not been rejected as per RFC1)
+
+The aim of this PR is to give an explicit status to the 4 waiting PRs, and not
+have 10 open PRs with no clue as to what is the next step.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+A team of people should be designated as “responsible for pushing RFCs forward”.
+For example, it is possible to pick the team of people with push rights on the
+RFCs repository. The members of this team should be explicitly listed in the
+RFCs repository's README.
+
+Two weeks after the last comment, someone from this team not personally involved
+in the PR should review the comments, and decide of a status to give it among
+the following ones:
+ * Accepted
+ * Rejected
+ * Waiting for changes from the author
+ * Waiting for information from anyone
+
+Depending on the choice of status, the following action will then be taken by
+the reviewer:
+ * Accepted or rejected: Post a comment stating the decision along with a call
+   for serious not-answered-before objections, with a two-weeks delay until
+   application of the decision. Also add a `final-comments` tag
+ * Waiting for changes from the author: Add a `waiting-for-edits` tag and
+   recapitulate the requested changes in a comment on the PR
+ * Waiting for information from anyone: Add a `waiting-for-information` tag and
+   recapitulate the unanswered questions in a comment on the PR
+
+## Examples
+[examples]: #examples
+
+For example, were I member of the said team, here are the decisions I would have
+taken after the visit to all the PRs I just did to write this one (note: I
+reviewed them quickly for I was reviewing them all at once, there could be
+mistakes in this list):
+ * RFC3: Waiting for information
+   (https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/3#issuecomment-291546550,
+   https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/3#issuecomment-312644253)
+ * RFC5: Accept
+ * RFC6: Reject (explicitly, so it ends up in the rejected/ folder)
+ * RFC8: Waiting for changes
+   (https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/8#issuecomment-312489557)
+ * RFC9: Waiting for information (from @edolstra to either agree or disagree)
+ * RFC10: Accept (though I'd most likely ask for someone else in the team for
+   their reading of the comments, but there seem to be no unanswered criticism
+   of it to me)
+ * RFC11: Reject (especially given
+   https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/11#issuecomment-292996438)
+ * RFC12: Call for someone else of the team, since I am personally involved in
+   this PR
+ * RFC13: Waiting for changes (see the TODOs in the RFC)
+ * RFC14: Waiting for changes
+   (https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/14#issuecomment-312444984)
+ * RFC17: Waiting for information
+   (https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/17#discussion_r132817106) and waiting for
+   changes (https://github.com/NixOS/rfcs/pull/17#discussion_r132816993)
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+This would put some work on the team responsible for reviewing the RFCs.
+
+# Alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+Not doing anything is the only alternative I could think of, and the experiment
+up to now isn't really successful.
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved]: #unresolved-questions
+
+ * Who should be in the team responsible for reviewing PRs?
+ * Does Github have labels that will be automatically removed by any subsequent
+   comment on the PR, so that it's easier for a reviewer to see which PRs to
+   review? (the list would then be the list of PRs with no comment for 2 weeks
+   and no label attached)
+
+# Future work
+[future]: #future-work
+
+None known.