Committer vs Maintainer

[parispittman]

Goals for this issue:

• list where we see the use of committer and maintainer; try and identify intent
• decide if one should be used over the other or in certain applications
• spark ideas around a role definition bank or FAQ or the like

Possible solution:

• Go with the definitions in the #Resources list; opt for maintainer in most cases as its more inclusive to all “trusted” committers and not just the only code committer misconception. It would also match with projects submitting MAINTAINERS.md to requirements and projects can still define committer as part of their contributor roles.

Why we need clarity:

• committer/maintainer company diversity requirement crafting Draft revisions to Multi-Org Requirement for Graduated Projects #29
• Using the right term and building the right programs for contributor growth like role building, contributor ladders, etc
• give guidance to projects on which one to use and why

Uses:

• committer: incubation and graduation requirements and expectations list committer process and other items
  • https://github.com/cncf/toc/tree/master/process#ii-stages---definitions--expectations
  • https://github.com/cncf/toc/blob/master/process/graduation_criteria.adoc#incubating-stage
• maintainer:
  • cncf uses this for toc election voting,
  • toc maintainer seat
  • maintainer surveys,
  • service desk access,
  • (and more.)
  • There is a public list. [link]
  • Many of the projects have MAINTAINERS.md files and others have OWNERS.
  • pull request proposal process for projects -> proposals/pull_request_template.md mentions making a maintainers list and more

Resources:

• https://opensource.guide/leadership-and-governance/
  Lists contributor, committer, and maintainer as similar yet different words with maintainer being a more inclusive committer as someone with high trust and doesn’t submit code/feature work/etc.
• Maintainers Circle Proposal #1 - lists discussion around the terms for the creation of the maintainers circle

Notes:

• to throw another wrench, Kubernetes doesn’t use either term. Approver and sub project owner would be the closest.
• contributor is a close word but seems to have general consensus on usage and definition
• some people say they are interchangeable. Discuss.

[jberkus]

Argument:

We shouldn't use either word. We should use "project leader" instead.

"Committer": in the age of github, this term is without a clear definition. Who's a committer? It also strongly implies that code contributors are the only contributors who count.

"Maintainer": the CNCF has already made this term unusable via their official Maintainer list, whose criteria for inclusion is not project leadership. In many cases, everyone who ever contributed to the project is on that list. We can't change that.

For most uses of either term, what we care about is project leadership. For example, for "maintainer diversity", what we really care about is whether or not the project leadership is diverse enough to prevent the project from being 100% hostage to one specific company's business strategy -- not who's writing the code.

[jberkus]

The TOC isn't interested in this, so closing.