lidavidm commented on code in PR #35174: URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/pull/35174#discussion_r1169324861
########## docs/source/format/Changing.rst: ########## @@ -0,0 +1,67 @@ +.. Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one +.. or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file +.. distributed with this work for additional information +.. regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file +.. to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the +.. "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance +.. with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at + +.. http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 + +.. Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, +.. software distributed under the License is distributed on an +.. "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY +.. KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the +.. specific language governing permissions and limitations +.. under the License. + +How to Change Format Specification +================================== + +**Cross-language** is important in Apache Arrow. To keep it, we use +the following process when dealing with format (files in +`<https://github.com/apache/arrow/tree/main/format>`_) changes: + +* We must go through a formal DISCUSS and VOTE process +* We must have at least 2 reference implementations and associated + integration tests + +DISCUSS and VOTE Process +------------------------ + +DISCUSS process is a process to discuss the format changes in +public. Anyone can join the discussion. The DISCUSS process is done by +starting a thread in [email protected] with ``[DISCUSS]`` prefixed +subject. + +.. note:: + + We sometimes use ``[Discuss]``, ``DISCUSS: `` or something but + ``[DISCUSS]`` is recommended. + +Here are examples: + +* `[Discuss][Format] Add 32-bit and 64-bit Decimals <https://lists.apache.org/thread/9ynjmjlxm44j2pt443mcr2hmdl7m43yz>`_ +* `[DISCUSS][Format] Starting to do some concrete work on the new "StringView" columnar data type <https://lists.apache.org/thread/dccj1qrozo88qsxx133kcy308qwfwpfm>`_ + +VOTE process is a process to tell whether we have reached +consensus. We can start a vote for the format changes after we reach +consensus in the preceding DISCUSS process. + +See also: `Apache Voting Process <https://www.apache.org/foundation/voting.html>`_ + +At Least 2 Reference Implementations +------------------------------------ + +We must have at least 2 reference implementations and associated +integration tests to confirm whether the format changes are +cross-compatible and consistent. + +We must choose complete implementations for them. Here are candidate Review Comment: It's ~up to the voters, effectively. I think it'd be hard to pin this down in text. That said, this part is discussing whether the implementation is considered a reference Arrow implementation. Which is more about whether the the implementation is self-contained (as opposed to a binding) and ~completeness of the Arrow specification and development activity. -- This is an automated message from the Apache Git Service. To respond to the message, please log on to GitHub and use the URL above to go to the specific comment. To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For queries about this service, please contact Infrastructure at: [email protected]
