[python-committers] What is a CPython core developer?

[Victor Stinner]

2017-09-24 13:05 GMT+02:00 Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan at gmail.com>:
> I think what we put there really does cover the essence of the role,
> so the main questions I personally ask about a potential new core
> developer are:
>
> 1. Would gaining core developer privileges improve their ability to
> contribute effectively (in my opinion or the opinion of another core
> developer)?
> 2. Do I (or another core developer that is willing to mentor them)
> trust their judgment on when things should be escalated for further
> review & discussion (or even rejected outright) vs just going ahead
> and merging them?

Nice. I also copy/pasted you in my page :-)

https://cpython-core-tutorial.readthedocs.io/en/latest/what_is_a_cpython_core_developer.html#identify-a-potential-candidate

> An offer of post-promotion mentoring is already noted as part of the
> nomination process here:
> https://docs.python.org/devguide/coredev.html#what-it-takes

I'm not sure that proposing a mentor as a result of the vote is a good
practice. Slowly, I'm trying to propose to mentor some potential
candidate before even starting discussing a potential promotion. IMHO
it works better in this way.

Technically, it's "pre-promotion" mentoring :-)

I started to formalize the "Different stages of core developers":
https://cpython-core-tutorial.readthedocs.io/en/latest/what_is_a_cpython_core_developer.html#different-stages-of-core-developers

* Newcomer

* Contributor: as soon as you post a comment, send an email, ask a
question, you become an active contributor!

* Permission for bug triage: once peers estimated that your behaviour
is correct and that you are active, you may be proposed to be promoted
to “bug triage”

* Followed by a mentor: spotted active contributors can be asked to
get a mentor to speedup their learning

* Core developer, allowed to merge a pull request: once other core
developers consider that a contributor is ready to be promoted, a core
dev opens a vote on python-committers


I would like to introduce *new* formalized steps between "contributor"
and "core developer". "Bug triage" already existed, but I'm not sure
that it was explicitly a part of a "long term promotion process".

I added a *new* explicit mentoring stage.


> There are some additional responsibilities listed at
> https://docs.python.org/devguide/coredev.html#responsibilities, but
> aside from the first paragraph about respecting the CoC, they're more
> in the nature of FYI's for just-promoted core devs.

I'm working on a new CPython tutorial. I have a "Community" page with:

* Code Of Conduct
* Diversity
* CPython Communication Channels

I tried to put this page near the start.

https://cpython-core-tutorial.readthedocs.io/en/latest/community.html

I plan to have a story mode in this tutorial in which you would have
to validate a step to access new parts of the tutorial. For example,
you would have to read the Community section before being allowed to
access the "Open your first issue on bugs.python.org" or "Write your
first Pull Request" sections. It's a way to make sure that all
contributors are aware of the code of conduct and diversity statement.

Victor