[U-Boot] Merge window questions

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Peter Tyser,

In message <1221148523.11226.449.camel at localhost.localdomain> you wrote:
>
> Does U-Boot accept new drivers/board support patches (ie new features
> which can't regress) outside of merge windows, or only bug fixes?

Like in Linux, only bug fixes are accepted. 

There is no such thing as new code that "can't regress". Please see
also the recent discussion about this on LKML and Linus' clear
statements:
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104951
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network/104943/focus=104945

> My understanding for the Linux kernel is that self-contained
> drivers/features are sometimes accepted after the merge window as they
> shouldn't cause the kernel to regress as no "old" code is using them.

That used to be the case in Linux, and it turned out that it didn't
work that well. We don't do this here.

> I have patches for a new MPC8572-based board and was wondering if I
> should go ahead and send them out now, or wait until the next release in
> ~a month.  I see other non-bugfix patches still being sent to the
> mailing list which gave me a glimmer of hope of getting the changes in
> the upcoming 2008.10 release:)

You  better  wait  a  while.  Especially  Jean-Christophe's  Makefile
patches will go in soon (as last bigger change in this release cycle)
and these would certainly break your patch.

Once Jean-Christophe's Makefile patches have been  applied  (and  any
problems  caused  by them fixed), I ill issue -rc2, and then probably
create a "next" branch. This might be used as a base for things  like
your patches.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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