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Subject: Re: [PATCH v4 2/4] workflow: process/changes.rst: expand and
 cleanup list
From: Manuel Ebner <manuelebner@airmail.cc>
To: Jonathan Corbet <corbet@lwn.net>, Collin Funk <collin.funk1@gmail.com>, 
 Shuah Khan <skhan@linuxfoundation.org>
Cc: workflows@vger.kernel.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, 
	linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2026 18:50:16 +0100
In-Reply-To: <87fr5ycxao.fsf@trenco.lwn.net>
References: <20260311164935.183495-3-manuelebner@airmail.cc>
			 <20260311165612.184288-2-manuelebner@airmail.cc>
			 <87fr5ycxao.fsf@trenco.lwn.net>
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On Tue, 2026-03-17 at 09:04 -0600, Jonathan Corbet wrote:
> Manuel Ebner <manuelebner@airmail.cc> writes:
> > remove footnote for sphinx
> > =C2=A0in the paragraph before the list it says:
> > =C2=A0"Also, not all tools are necessary on all systems;
> > =C2=A0obviously, if you don't have any PC Card hardware, for example,
> > =C2=A0you probably needn't concern yourself with pcmciautils."

i understand this paragraph like this:
most or all tools can be optional, depending on the specific use case.
e.g. quota-tools is optional for people compiling the kernel.
that's why i removed the optional markings.

and pcmciautils, the example in the the file, is not marked as optional in =
changes.rst:

=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D  =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D
        Program        Minimal version       Command to check the version
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D  =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D
[...]
pcmciautils            004              pccardctl -V

> > remove "(optional)" for the same reason as above
>=20
> Here you have lost some information - now the document doesn't say
> *which* tools are optional.=C2=A0 That is, I think, not ideal.

that's true.
my question is: what are the tools optional for?
or what is the criteria for "optional"?

Manuel