Subject: Re: Nesting topics within other threads

From: Junio C Hamano <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2021 14:12:20 +0900

Derrick Stolee <[email-masked]> writes:

> On 4/28/2021 12:26 PM, Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason wrote:
>> Simplify the setup code in repo-settings.c in various ways, making the
>> code shorter, easier to read, and requiring fewer hacks to do the same
>> thing as it did before:
>
> This patch is interesting, and I'll review it when I have some more
> time. Probably tomorrow.
>
> But I thought that I would point out that this pattern of adding a
> patch within the thread of a larger series makes it very difficult
> to separate the two. I use an email client that groups messages by
> thread in order to help parse meaningful discussion from the list
> which otherwise looks like a fire hose of noise. Now, this patch is
> linked to the FS Monitor thread and feedback to either will trigger
> the thread as having unread messages.
>
> I find it very difficult to track multiple patch series that are
> being juggled in the same thread. It is mentally taxing enough that
> I have avoided reviewing code presented this way to save myself the
> effort of tracking which patches go with what topic in what order.

I do find it distracting to have a full "ah, I just thought of
something while discussing this unrelated series" patch fairly
irritating for the same reason.  It however is unavoidable human
nature that we come up with ideas while thinking about something not
necessarily related.  So it largely is a presentation issue.

I really appreciate the way some people (Peff is a stellar example,
but there are others who are as good at this) handle these tangents,
where the message sent to an existing thread is limited to only give
an outline of the idea (possibly with "something like this?" patch
for illustration) and then they quickly get out of the way of the
discussion by starting a separate thread, while back-referencing "So
here is a proper patch based on the idea I interjected in the
discussion of that other topic."  And the discussion on the tangent
will be done on its own thread.