new core team policies

[Antti Kantee <pooka%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

        Dear Users and Developers,


The core team has established two new policies.

Executive summary:
1) new tests must be written using the Automated Testing Framework (ATF)
2) core will no longer ok changes without prior public discussion


Extended versions:

1)
NetBSD has always been known for its high quality.  To take quality
to the ultimate level, we are actively pushing for automated testing
with regularly run tests and uniform test reports.  To this end,
we now require that all new tests are written using the ATF tool.
All exceptions for tests committed to the old src/regress framework
must be ok'd by core prior to commit.

You can find information about ATF from http://www.NetBSD.org/~jmmv/atf/
and help on writing tests at http://wiki.NetBSD.org/tutorials/atf/

Please test responsibly.


2)
In the past the core team has given an ok/no decision for changes
directly upon private request.  To make NetBSD's review process
more transparent for developers and non-developers alike, core will
no longer bless a change without peer review on a public technical
list.  The only exceptions are cases requiring confidentiality,
such as security vulnerabilities.

It is still desirable to inform core about long-term projects you
are working on.  This way they can be part of the roadmap for
NetBSD.  Be sure to state if you wish your project to remain
confidential until further notice.

Developers please note that large changes such as adding new packages
to src/external and sweeping kernel changes still require both peer
review and core approval.  Contact core%NetBSD.org@localhost if you are unsure
about the nature of your change.


Thank you for your time,
  core