Re: Patch pinging

[Ian Lance Taylor <iant at google dot com>]

NightStrike <nightstrike@gmail.com> writes:

> It would have been courteous for you -- or Frederic, or anyone else --
> to have communicated that to me instead of just ignoring me.

Yes.  I was not part of the conversation stream.  I apologize on behalf
of Frank (not Frederic).  He should have replied.


>> Giving somebody a shell account on gcc.gnu.org means
>> giving them a very high level of trust.
>
> Then you should consider using legitimate account creation policies.
> If I just put "John Smith" in the sign up form, I would have gotten an
> account.  How does that change anything?  Again, welcome to 2010.

We normally only grant source code access to people who have signed a
copyright assignment with the FSF.  So for those cases we simply rely on
the FSF to perform some sort of verification.  You would have been an
unusual, perhaps unique, case: a shell account for somebody who has not
signed an FSF copyright assignment.


> What you guys need to realize is that if I did just make something up,
> there wouldn't be an issue.  Your policies are vintage computer
> security circa 1963.  That's what's so darn frustrating about this
> whole entire thing.  You don't have any actual security, but yet you
> think I'm going to try to bring down everything GNU.  That's just
> awesome.

We don't have nearly enough security, but I think that we have more than
you are suggesting.


> Recently there was a thread about why people don't contribute to GCC.
> Well, here you go.  I tried.  Twice in quick succession.  I was flamed
> vigorously, much more off-list than on.  I've been getting personal
> emails from people angry about my pseudonym since the day I started
> posting on your mailing lists.  I was lambasted by countless people,
> ignored by the ones that matter, and eventually shut out because of a
> security policy that has no place in present day computing.
> Wonderful.  Way to make someone feel welcome.
>
> Why don't people contribute to GCC?  I've found my answer.

Yes.  I was personally very disappointed by the way that people attacked
you for trying to help.

That said, I respect your right to choose to use a pseudonym, but I
think our requirement of dealing with real people is a reasonable one.
The free software community works on a web of trust and personal
relationships.  If you prefer to remain pseudonymous, then you must
accept that you will not be at the center of that web.

Ian