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| author | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2026-08-19 10:09:22 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> | 2026-08-19 10:09:22 -0700 |
| commit | f4cdf7ca9a1fdcca413157df19753f388a5a224e (patch) | |
| tree | 60a31895b2446cd7fa27514e8c2843534a0de0da /Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst | |
| download | linux-stable-f4cdf7ca9a1fdcca413157df19753f388a5a224e.tar.gz linux-stable-f4cdf7ca9a1fdcca413157df19753f388a5a224e.zip | |
Merge tag 'media/v7.3-1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-mediagrafted
Pull media updates from Mauro Carvalho Chehab:
- v4l2-core: added ISP statistics support and per-block validation
- v4l2-core: Allow unknown HDR10 white point and luminance
- New camera sensors: Sony IMX678 and IMX471m, Himax HM1092 IR sensor
- New codec: Milos: VPU v2.0 codec support
- isp driver: gained support for Dreamchip RPPX1 ISP framework
- vsp1 driver: gained support for RZ/T2H and RZ/N2H
- Novalake driver: gained CVS support for new NVL hardware
- dvb-core: fix feed leak on failed DMX_ADD_PID
- several driver fixes, cleanups and minor improvements
* tag 'media/v7.3-1' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/mchehab/linux-media: (308 commits)
media: ipu-bridge: check all DMI entries when overriding sensor rotation
media: v4l2-async: avoid deleting unlinked ASC entry on link error
media: rzg2l-cru: Align bytesperline to hardware DMA stride requirement
media: intel/ipu6: fix async notifier cleanup leak on parse error
media: staging/ipu7: fix async notifier UAF on probe error path
media: amd: isp4: fix self-deadlock in isp4sd_pwron_and_init() error path
media: amd: isp4: release partial allocations in isp4if_alloc_fw_gpumem()
media: rcar-isp: Fix VSPX reference leaks
media: rcar-isp: Release ISPCORE resources
media: i2c: imx415: Release runtime PM reference on VBLANK error
media: i2c: imx415: Return test pattern write errors
media: renesas: vsp1: Declare index variables in for loop statement
media: renesas: vsp1: Make reset control optional to support platforms without a reset line
media: dt-bindings: media: renesas,vsp1: Document RZ/T2H and RZ/N2H SoCs
media: dt-bindings: media: renesas,fcp: Document RZ/T2H and RZ/N2H SoCs
media: nxp: imx8-isi: Add additional 32-bit RGB format support
media: nxp: imx8-isi: Add 16-bit raw Bayer format support
media: nxp: imx8-isi: Implement per-stream reference counting for multiplexed streams
media: nxp: imx8-isi: Use BIT_ULL() for 64-bit stream masks
media: nxp: imx8-isi: Correct color map between V4L2 and ISI
...
Diffstat (limited to 'Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst')
| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst | 96 |
1 files changed, 96 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst b/Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst new file mode 100644 index 000000000..c015f66d7 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/maintainer/messy-diffstat.rst @@ -0,0 +1,96 @@ +.. SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 + +===================================== +Handling messy pull-request diffstats +===================================== + +Subsystem maintainers routinely use ``git request-pull`` as part of the +process of sending work upstream. Normally, the result includes a nice +diffstat that shows which files will be touched and how much of each will +be changed. Occasionally, though, a repository with a relatively +complicated development history will yield a massive diffstat containing a +great deal of unrelated work. The result looks ugly and obscures what the +pull request is actually doing. This document describes what is happening +and how to fix things up; it is derived from The Wisdom of Linus Torvalds, +found in Linus1_ and Linus2_. + +.. _Linus1: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wg3wXH2JNxkQi+eLZkpuxqV+wPiHhw_Jf7ViH33Sw7PHA@mail.gmail.com/ +.. _Linus2: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CAHk-=wgXbSa8yq8Dht8at+gxb_idnJ7X5qWZQWRBN4_CUPr=eQ@mail.gmail.com/ + +A Git development history proceeds as a series of commits. In a simplified +manner, mainline kernel development looks like this:: + + ... vM --- vN-rc1 --- vN-rc2 --- vN-rc3 --- ... --- vN-rc7 --- vN + +If one wants to see what has changed between two points, a command like +this will do the job:: + + $ git diff --stat --summary vN-rc2..vN-rc3 + +Here, there are two clear points in the history; Git will essentially +"subtract" the beginning point from the end point and display the resulting +differences. The requested operation is unambiguous and easy enough to +understand. + +When a subsystem maintainer creates a branch and commits changes to it, the +result in the simplest case is a history that looks like:: + + ... vM --- vN-rc1 --- vN-rc2 --- vN-rc3 --- ... --- vN-rc7 --- vN + | + +-- c1 --- c2 --- ... --- cN + +If that maintainer now uses ``git diff`` to see what has changed between +the mainline branch (let's call it "linus") and cN, there are still two +clear endpoints, and the result is as expected. So a pull request +generated with ``git request-pull`` will also be as expected. But now +consider a slightly more complex development history:: + + ... vM --- vN-rc1 --- vN-rc2 --- vN-rc3 --- ... --- vN-rc7 --- vN + | | + | +-- c1 --- c2 --- ... --- cN + | / + +-- x1 --- x2 --- x3 + +Our maintainer has created one branch at vN-rc1 and another at vN-rc2; the +two were then subsequently merged into c2. Now a pull request generated +for cN may end up being messy indeed, and developers often end up wondering +why. + +What is happening here is that there are no longer two clear end points for +the ``git diff`` operation to use. The development culminating in cN +started in two different places; to generate the diffstat, ``git diff`` +ends up having pick one of them and hoping for the best. If the diffstat +starts at vN-rc1, it may end up including all of the changes between there +and the second origin end point (vN-rc2), which is certainly not what our +maintainer had in mind. With all of that extra junk in the diffstat, it +may be impossible to tell what actually happened in the changes leading up +to cN. + +Maintainers often try to resolve this problem by, for example, rebasing the +branch or performing another merge with the linus branch, then recreating +the pull request. This approach tends not to lead to joy at the receiving +end of that pull request; rebasing and/or merging just before pushing +upstream is a well-known way to get a grumpy response. + +So what is to be done? The best response when confronted with this +situation is to indeed to do a merge with the branch you intend your work +to be pulled into, but to do it privately, as if it were the source of +shame. Create a new, throwaway branch and do the merge there:: + + ... vM --- vN-rc1 --- vN-rc2 --- vN-rc3 --- ... --- vN-rc7 --- vN + | | | + | +-- c1 --- c2 --- ... --- cN | + | / | | + +-- x1 --- x2 --- x3 +------------+-- TEMP + +The merge operation resolves all of the complications resulting from the +multiple beginning points, yielding a coherent result that contains only +the differences from the mainline branch. Now it will be possible to +generate a diffstat with the desired information:: + + $ git diff -C --stat --summary linus..TEMP + +Save the output from this command, then simply delete the TEMP branch; +definitely do not expose it to the outside world. Take the saved diffstat +output and edit it into the messy pull request, yielding a result that +shows what is really going on. That request can then be sent upstream. |
