Fill out information on patch tags in SubmittingPatches

Add more information about the various patch tags in use, and try to
establish a meaning for Reviewed-by:

Signed-off-by: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>

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Documentation/SubmittingPatches
··· 328 328 point out some special detail about the sign-off. 329 329 330 330 331 - 13) When to use Acked-by: 331 + 13) When to use Acked-by: and Cc: 332 332 333 333 The Signed-off-by: tag indicates that the signer was involved in the 334 334 development of the patch, or that he/she was in the patch's delivery path. ··· 349 349 For example, if a patch affects multiple subsystems and has an Acked-by: from 350 350 one subsystem maintainer then this usually indicates acknowledgement of just 351 351 the part which affects that maintainer's code. Judgement should be used here. 352 - When in doubt people should refer to the original discussion in the mailing 352 + When in doubt people should refer to the original discussion in the mailing 353 353 list archives. 354 354 355 + If a person has had the opportunity to comment on a patch, but has not 356 + provided such comments, you may optionally add a "Cc:" tag to the patch. 357 + This is the only tag which might be added without an explicit action by the 358 + person it names. This tag documents that potentially interested parties 359 + have been included in the discussion 355 360 356 - 14) The canonical patch format 361 + 362 + 14) Using Test-by: and Reviewed-by: 363 + 364 + A Tested-by: tag indicates that the patch has been successfully tested (in 365 + some environment) by the person named. This tag informs maintainers that 366 + some testing has been performed, provides a means to locate testers for 367 + future patches, and ensures credit for the testers. 368 + 369 + Reviewed-by:, instead, indicates that the patch has been reviewed and found 370 + acceptable according to the Reviewer's Statement: 371 + 372 + Reviewer's statement of oversight 373 + 374 + By offering my Reviewed-by: tag, I state that: 375 + 376 + (a) I have carried out a technical review of this patch to 377 + evaluate its appropriateness and readiness for inclusion into 378 + the mainline kernel. 379 + 380 + (b) Any problems, concerns, or questions relating to the patch 381 + have been communicated back to the submitter. I am satisfied 382 + with the submitter's response to my comments. 383 + 384 + (c) While there may be things that could be improved with this 385 + submission, I believe that it is, at this time, (1) a 386 + worthwhile modification to the kernel, and (2) free of known 387 + issues which would argue against its inclusion. 388 + 389 + (d) While I have reviewed the patch and believe it to be sound, I 390 + do not (unless explicitly stated elsewhere) make any 391 + warranties or guarantees that it will achieve its stated 392 + purpose or function properly in any given situation. 393 + 394 + A Reviewed-by tag is a statement of opinion that the patch is an 395 + appropriate modification of the kernel without any remaining serious 396 + technical issues. Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can 397 + offer a Reviewed-by tag for a patch. This tag serves to give credit to 398 + reviewers and to inform maintainers of the degree of review which has been 399 + done on the patch. Reviewed-by: tags, when supplied by reviewers known to 400 + understand the subject area and to perform thorough reviews, will normally 401 + increase the liklihood of your patch getting into the kernel. 402 + 403 + 404 + 15) The canonical patch format 357 405 358 406 The canonical patch subject line is: 359 407