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GDB Internals

15.2 Branch Commit Policy

The branch commit policy is pretty slack. GDB releases 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2 all used the below:

• The `gdb/MAINTAINERS' file still holds.
• Don't fix something on the branch unless/until it is also fixed in the trunk. If this isn't possible, mentioning it in the `gdb/PROBLEMS' file is better than committing a hack.
• When considering a patch for the branch, suggested criteria include: Does it fix a build? Does it fix the sequence break main; run when debugging a static binary?
• The further a change is from the core of GDB, the less likely the change will worry anyone (e.g., target specific code).
• Only post a proposal to change the core of GDB after you've sent individual bribes to all the people listed in the `MAINTAINERS' file ;-)

Pragmatics: Provided updates are restricted to non-core functionality there is little chance that a broken change will be fatal. This means that changes such as adding a new architectures or (within reason) support for a new host are considered acceptable.