Re: [PATCH] docs: submitting-patches: Clarify that in English "reviewer" is a person

On Sat, May 16, 2026 at 04:39:45PM +0200, Vlastimil Babka (SUSE) wrote:
> On 5/16/26 14:38, Krzysztof Kozlowski wrote:
> > Common understanding of word "Reviewer" is: a person performing a review
> > work [1]. Tools are not persons, thus cannot be reviewers in this term.
> > Also tools cannot make statements ("A Reviewed-by tag is a statement of
> > opinion"), since making a statement needs some sort of conscious mind.
> > 
> > Our docs already clearly mark that "Reviewed-by" must come from a
> > person:
> > 
> >  - "By offering my Reviewed-by: tag, I state that:"
> > 
> >    Usage of first person "I" and word "state"
> > 
> >  - "A Reviewed-by tag is *a statement of opinion* that the patch is an
> >     appropriate modification of the kernel without any remaining serious"
> > 
> >    Only a person can make a statement of opinion.
> > 
> >  - "Any interested reviewer (who has done the work) can offer a
> >    Reviewed-by"
> > 
> >    A person can offer a tag thus above does not grant the tool
> >    permission to offer a tag.
> > 
> > However this is not enough and apparently English is not that precise,
> > so let's clarify that only a person can state the "Reviewer's statement
> > of oversight".
> > 
> > Link: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reviewer [1]
> > Cc: Greg Kroah-Hartman <[email protected]>
> > Cc: Vlastimil Babka <[email protected]>
> > Cc: Andrew Morton <[email protected]>
> > Cc: David Hildenbrand <[email protected]>
> > Cc: Linus Torvalds <[email protected]>
> > Signed-off-by: Krzysztof Kozlowski <[email protected]>
> 
> I agree with the intent that the tag is for people (whether they use a tool
> or not to help them). We also don't put "Tested-by: kernel test robot" or
> syzkaller on every commit that they test and find no bugs. Review is also
> not just about absence of bugs, but agreeing with the larger design and
> whether the change makes sense to do in the first place.
> 
> So whether that's achieved with this particular wording or differently,
> 
> Acked-by: Vlastimil Babka (SUSE) <[email protected]>

Reviewed-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <[email protected]>