I’ve reviewed a ton of Fedora packages over the years. I just did some more over this last weekend and thought I would share some tips and thoughts around reviewing packages:
- fedora-review is pretty nice for doing all the tedious checks that can be automated. It fetches the spec and src.rpm for you, builds them, does all the automated tests it can on the package and then leaves you with a nice review template to finish filling out.
- I’ve always found having a checklist of things to make sure and check is good, even if you notice/check them normally anyhow.
- After firing off fedora-review, I next just go and look at the spec. Not for anything specific, just how the entire thing is setup. Just absorb it and let it flow into my mind. Things like inconsistent macro use just stand out right away, or complex sections that need more scrutiny.
- Then, when I do the specific checks left after fedora-review I can easily think of/see where the problems (if any) are.
- If you are looking for something to review or if it’s been submitted, the cached package review page is very handy: http://fedoraproject.org/PackageReviewStatus/
There are some interesting packages in the review queue, do look today and see if you can add some comments to get them further along toward approval.