From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de (wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de [80.237.130.52]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.subspace.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 44D682D0635; Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:42:30 +0000 (UTC) Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; arc=none smtp.client-ip=80.237.130.52 ARC-Seal:i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1761482552; cv=none; b=DHGhvAoLarVwnTBiCdnq8DVPGGCzctUYECbDPcvmsQ1t2Q1ZJKBcJN+xvtXcRJlpP2sb6RGJJUeeAOoKU/N9WSGl8cUwfVFNjB1kx8kaHWQimyPiPWZvQtAGdzV5Uh517LO5bnxDiEzTqHEc24JFrId5GZuLGMNhCpYnvqHMQcQ= ARC-Message-Signature:i=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=subspace.kernel.org; s=arc-20240116; t=1761482552; c=relaxed/simple; bh=yyf519215u2MDdtHhsuvS1aHgIQQ/WJ2C5bOX/X38zg=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:Message-ID:In-Reply-To:References: MIME-Version; b=Qm++xG5mog+SIGyw+Kb2yGbxStQMCrTNbssYaplriCIA9m8jeqt5wx+o4UEbkWoggptthwuAmjIFQyHBQ7UXBbswviVow9PDLCa3OzPgz6n5X7DoucB7qFWeC24sdhd0Exj0p3ovgSslOa3Oq99F4Yxul1IdMxv2Fxu1OG+aVIg= ARC-Authentication-Results:i=1; smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=leemhuis.info; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=leemhuis.info; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=leemhuis.info header.i=@leemhuis.info header.b=HsVf0ULQ; arc=none smtp.client-ip=80.237.130.52 Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=leemhuis.info Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=leemhuis.info Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=leemhuis.info header.i=@leemhuis.info header.b="HsVf0ULQ" DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=leemhuis.info; s=he214686; h=Content-Transfer-Encoding:MIME-Version: References:In-Reply-To:Message-ID:Date:Subject:Cc:To:From:From:Sender: Reply-To:Subject:Date:Message-ID:To:Cc:MIME-Version:Content-Type: Content-Transfer-Encoding:Content-ID:Content-Description:In-Reply-To: References; bh=+90988As5O3leaoO212A9P2dJ7//kwlH5PvTRnoE+AY=; t=1761482550; x=1761914550; b=HsVf0ULQv3aIaBYOLHIa4TAun6Z2ffZSFGsRWQaiuF1a9yJZczZoEof8EEJDO 9hNuqeB1KsNdOE1msHA8UDpbK0wNzs+Te40uI2+QYDul6hVeP0F/XMsgMyAxqyalySSoIyXSMIjMG R692WIDamDf9RYkiHLPBLtCm7gSPCCxf+FtRHKAJA5puX1nSH1dkVCyI0TVRJFhtCadWtWnKvm5lr ONlUEA7Gj7BeqrJYr96+S2YZh3VXIwdZ2AkxvrMVo+P6ouukfzdv6fYcUYcM0Qf3UWZ4y1iTCRFN2 JVREu9lOdmP4vpOSIn2CQ9CD8AtqI6zy+vpEg+njhLetujVYXQ==; Received: from [2a02:8108:8984:1d00:a8ad:ebd4:6fc6:160] (helo=luggage.fritz.box); authenticated by wp530.webpack.hosteurope.de running ExIM with esmtpsa (TLS1.3:ECDHE_X25519__RSA_PSS_RSAE_SHA256__AES_256_GCM:256) id 1vD04k-001mX6-31; Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:42:23 +0100 From: Thorsten Leemhuis To: Jonathan Corbet Cc: workflows@vger.kernel.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, regressions@lists.linux.dev, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: [PATCH v1 02/30] docs: reporting-issues: tweak the reference section intro Date: Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:41:53 +0100 Message-ID: X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.51.0 In-Reply-To: References: Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: workflows@vger.kernel.org List-Id: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-bounce-key: webpack.hosteurope.de;linux@leemhuis.info;1761482550;db804c08; X-HE-SMSGID: 1vD04k-001mX6-31 Small improvements to the intro of the reference section. Signed-off-by: Thorsten Leemhuis --- .../admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst | 67 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+), 36 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst index 3bc47afaf85ea0..90b50c27c0d2b6 100644 --- a/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst +++ b/Documentation/admin-guide/reporting-issues.rst @@ -244,42 +244,37 @@ The reference section below explains each of these steps in more detail. Reference section: Reporting issues to the kernel maintainers ============================================================= -The detailed guides above outline all the major steps in brief fashion, which -should be enough for most people. But sometimes there are situations where even -experienced users might wonder how to actually do one of those steps. That's -what this section is for, as it will provide a lot more details on each of the -above steps. Consider this as reference documentation: it's possible to read it -from top to bottom. But it's mainly meant to skim over and a place to look up -details how to actually perform those steps. - -A few words of general advice before digging into the details: - - * The Linux kernel developers are well aware this process is complicated and - demands more than other FLOSS projects. We'd love to make it simpler. But - that would require work in various places as well as some infrastructure, - which would need constant maintenance; nobody has stepped up to do that - work, so that's just how things are for now. - - * A warranty or support contract with some vendor doesn't entitle you to - request fixes from developers in the upstream Linux kernel community: such - contracts are completely outside the scope of the Linux kernel, its - development community, and this document. That's why you can't demand - anything such a contract guarantees in this context, not even if the - developer handling the issue works for the vendor in question. If you want - to claim your rights, use the vendor's support channel instead. When doing - so, you might want to mention you'd like to see the issue fixed in the - upstream Linux kernel; motivate them by saying it's the only way to ensure - the fix in the end will get incorporated in all Linux distributions. - - * If you never reported an issue to a FLOSS project before you should consider - reading `How to Report Bugs Effectively - `_, `How To Ask - Questions The Smart Way - `_, and `How to ask good - questions `_. - -With that off the table, find below the details on how to properly report -issues to the Linux kernel developers. +The step-by-step guide above outlines all the major steps in brief fashion, +which usually covers everything required. But even experienced users will +sometimes wonder how to actually realize some of those steps or why they are +needed; there are also corner cases the guide ignores for readability. That is +what the entries in this reference section are for, which provide additional +information for each of the steps in the detailed guide. + +A few words of general advice: + +* The Linux kernel developers are well aware that reporting bugs to them is + more complicated and demanding than in other FLOSS projects. Quite a few + would love to make it simpler. But that would require convincing a lot of + developers to change their habits; it, furthermore, would require improvements + on several technical fronts and people that constantly take care of various + things. Nobody has stepped up to do or fund that work. + +* A warranty or support contract with some vendor doesn't entitle you to + request fixes from the upstream Linux developers: Such contracts are + completely outside the scope of the upstream Linux kernel, its development + community, and this document -- even if those handling the issue work for the + vendor who issued the contract. If you want to claim your rights, use the + vendor's support channel. + +* If you never reported an issue to a FLOSS project before, consider skimming + guides like `How to ask good questions + `_, `How To Ask Questions The Smart Way + `_, and `How to Report + Bugs Effectively `_,. + +With that off the table, find below details for the steps from the detailed +guide on reporting issues to the Linux kernel developers. Make sure you're using the upstream Linux kernel -- 2.51.0