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37
38    <h1>Boost Formal Review Process</h1>
39
40    <p><a href="#Introduction">Introduction</a><br>
41     <a href="#Comments">What to include in Review Comments</a><br>
42     <a href="#Results">Results</a><br>
43     <a href="#Review_Manager">Notes for Review Managers</a><br>
44     <a href="#Submitters">Notes for Library Submitters</a><br>
45     <a href="#Wizard">Review Wizard</a><br>
46    <a href="#Fast-Track">Fast Track Reviews</a></p>
47
48    <h2><a name="Introduction">Introduction</a></h2>
49
50    <p>Proposed libraries are accepted into Boost only after undergoing a
51    formal review, where Boost mailing list members comment on their
52    evaluation of the library.</p>
53
54    <p>The final "accept" or "reject" decision is made by the <a href=
55    "#Review_Manager">Review Manager</a>, based on the review comments
56    received from boost mailing list members.</p>
57
58    <p>Boost mailing list members are encouraged to submit Formal Review
59    comments:</p>
60
61    <blockquote>
62      <ul>
63        <li>Publicly on the mailing list.</li>
64
65        <li>Privately to the Review Manager.</li>
66      </ul>
67    </blockquote>
68
69    <p>Private comments to a library submitter may be helpful to her or him,
70    but won't help the Review Manager reach a decision, so the other forms
71    are preferred.</p>
72
73    <h2>What to include in Review <a name="Comments">Comments</a></h2>
74
75    <p>Your comments may be brief or lengthy, but basically the Review
76    Manager needs your evaluation of the library.&nbsp; If you identify
77    problems along the way, please note if they are minor, serious, or
78    showstoppers.</p>
79
80    <p>Here are some questions you might want to answer in your review:</p>
81
82    <ul>
83      <li>What is your evaluation of the design?<br>
84      </li>
85
86      <li>What is your evaluation of the implementation?<br>
87      </li>
88
89      <li>What is your evaluation of the documentation?<br>
90      </li>
91
92      <li>What is your evaluation of the potential usefulness of the
93      library?<br>
94      </li>
95
96      <li>Did you try to use the library?&nbsp; With what compiler?&nbsp; Did
97      you have any problems?<br>
98      </li>
99
100      <li>How much effort did you put into your evaluation? A glance? A quick
101      reading? In-depth study?<br>
102      </li>
103
104      <li>Are you knowledgeable about the problem domain?</li>
105    </ul>
106
107    <p>And finally, every review should answer this question:<br>
108    </p>
109
110    <ul>
111      <li>Do you think the library should be accepted as a Boost
112      library?&nbsp; Be sure to say this explicitly so that your other
113      comments don't obscure your overall opinion.</li>
114    </ul>
115
116    <h2><a name="Results">Results</a></h2>
117
118    <p>At the conclusion of the comment period, the Review Manager will post
119    a message to the mailing list saying if the library has been accepted or
120    rejected.&nbsp; A rationale is also helpful, but its extent is up to the
121    Review Manager. If there are suggestions, or conditions that must be met
122    before final inclusion, they should be stated.</p>
123
124    <h2>Notes for <a name="Review_Manager">Review Manager</a>s</h2>
125
126    <p>Before a library can be scheduled for formal review, an active boost
127    member not connected with the library submission must volunteer to be the
128    "Review Manager" for the library.</p>
129
130    <p>The Review Manager:</p>
131
132    <ul>
133      <li>Checks the submission to make sure it really is complete enough to
134      warrant formal review.&nbsp; See the <a href="lib_guide.htm">Boost
135      Library Requirements and Guidelines</a>.&nbsp; If necessary, work with
136      the submitter to verify the code compiles and runs correctly on several
137      compilers and platforms.</li>
138
139      <li>Finalizes the schedule with the <a href="#Wizard">Review Wizard</a>
140      and the submitter .</li>
141
142      <li>
143        Posts a notice of the review schedule on both the regular <b><a href=
144        "mailto:boost@lists.boost.org">boost mailing list</a></b> and the
145        <b><a href="mailto:boost-announce@lists.boost.org">boost-announce</a>
146        mailing list</b>.
147
148        <ul>
149          <li>The notice should include a brief description of the library
150          and what it does, to let readers know if the library is one they
151          are interested in reviewing.</li>
152
153          <li>If the library is known to fail with certain compilers, please
154          mention them in the review notice so reviewers with those compilers
155          won't waste time diagnosing known problems.</li>
156        </ul>
157      </li>
158
159      <li>Inspects the Boost <a href="../libs/libraries.htm">library
160      catalogue</a> for libraries which may interact with the new submission.
161      These potential interactions should be pointed out in the review
162      announcement, and the author(s) of these libraries should be privately
163      notified and urged to participate in the review.</li>
164
165      <li>Urges people to do reviews if they aren't forthcoming.</li>
166
167      <li>Follows review discussions regarding the library, moderating or
168      answering questions as needed.</li>
169
170      <li>Decides if there is consensus to accept the library, and if there
171      are any conditions attached.</li>
172
173      <li>Posts a message on both the <b><a href=
174      "mailto:boost@lists.boost.org">boost</a></b> and <b><a href=
175      "mailto:boost-announce@lists.boost.org">boost-announce</a></b> lists
176      informing members of the <a href="#Results">review results</a>.</li>
177    </ul>
178
179    <p>In other words, it is the Review Manager's responsibility to make sure
180    the review process works smoothly.</p>
181
182    <h2>Notes for Library <a name="Submitters">Submitters</a></h2>
183
184    <p>See <a href="submission_process.htm">Submission Process</a> for a
185    description of the steps a library developer goes through to get a
186    library accepted by Boost.</p>
187
188    <p>A proposed library should remain stable during the review period; it
189    will just confuse and irritate reviewers if there are numerous
190    changes.&nbsp; It is, however, useful to upload fixes for serious bugs
191    right away, particularly those which prevent reviewers from fully
192    evaluating the library.&nbsp; Post a notice of such fixes on the mailing
193    list.</p>
194
195    <p>Library improvements suggested by reviewers should normally be held
196    until after the completion of review period.&nbsp; If the suggested
197    changes might affect reviewer's judgments,&nbsp;post a notice of the
198    pending change on the mailing list.</p>
199
200    <h2>Review <a name="Wizard">Wizard</a></h2>
201
202    <p>The Review Wizard coordinates the formal review schedule:</p>
203
204    <ul>
205      <li>Maintains a list of review manager volunteers, in the form of a
206      queue, so that volunteers who least recently managed reviews become the
207      prime candidates for upcoming reviews.</li>
208
209      <li>When a formal review is requested for a library:</li>
210
211      <li style="list-style: none">
212        &nbsp;<ul>
213          <li>Assign a review manager and suggests a schedule, after checking
214          (via private email) availability of the volunteers at the top of
215          review manager queue.</li>
216
217          <li>Finalize the schedule, once the review manager verifies the
218          library is actually ready for review.</li>
219
220          <li>Resolve schedule slips or other issues with review managers and
221          submitters.</li>
222        </ul>
223      </li>
224
225      <li>Maintains a schedule of both past and pending reviews, in the form
226      of the <a href="formal_review_schedule.html">Review Schedule</a> web
227      page.</li>
228
229      <li>Resolves questions from review managers and library submitters, who
230      sometimes want a third opinion on questions such as "Should we extend
231      the review period because ...?"</li>
232
233      <li>Monitors the general review process, and makes minor adjustments as
234      needed, or queries the list about possible major adjustments.</li>
235    </ul>
236    The role of Boost Review Wizard is currently played by <a href=
237    "mailto:reportbase@yahoo.com">Tom Brinkman</a>.<h2><a name="Fast-Track">Fast Track Reviews</a></h2>
238    <p>To qualify for fast track review:</p>
239    <ul>
240      <li>The component must be small.</li>
241      <li>The technique must be already in use in Boost libraries and the new
242      component provides a common implementation.</li>
243      <li>A full Boost-conformant implementation is available in the sandbox.</li>
244      <li>The Review Wizard determines that the proposal qualifies for fast
245      track review.</li>
246    </ul>
247    <p>Procedure:</p>
248    <ul>
249      <li>The Boost Review Wizard posts a review announcement to the main Boost
250      developer's list. The review period will normally last for 5 days. No two
251      fast track reviews will run in parallel. Fast track reviews may run during
252      full reviews, though generally this is to be avoided.</li>
253      <li>After the review period ends, the submitter will post a review summary
254      containing proposed changes to the reviewed implementation.</li>
255      <li>The Review Wizard will accept or reject the proposed library and
256      proposed changes.</li>
257      <li>After applying the proposed changes, the component is checked into CVS
258      like any other library.<br>
259&nbsp;</li>
260    </ul>
261    <hr>
262
263    <p>Revised
264    <!--webbot bot="Timestamp" s-type="EDITED" s-format="%d %B, %Y" startspan -->15 October, 2003<!--webbot bot="Timestamp" endspan i-checksum="38556" --></p>
265
266    <p>© Copyright Beman Dawes 2000</p>
267<p> Use, modification, and distribution are subject to the Boost Software
268License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying file <a href="../LICENSE_1_0.txt">
269LICENSE_1_0.txt</a> or copy at <a href="http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt">
270www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt</a>)</p>
271  </body>
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