[HADOOP-12143] Add a style guide to the Hadoop documentation

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Open
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Unresolved
• Affects Version/s: 2.7.0
• Component/s: documentation
• Assignee: Steve Loughran Assign to me
• Reporter: Steve Loughran
• Created: 29/Jun/15 08:20
• Updated: 08/Aug/17 10:20

Description

We don't have a documented style guide for the Hadoop source or its tests other than "use the Java rules with two spaces".

That doesn't cover policy like

1. exception handling
2. logging
3. metrics
4. what makes a good test
5. why features that have O(n) or worse complexity or extra memory load on the NN & RM Are "unwelcome",
6. ... etc

We have those in our heads, and we reject patches for not following them —but as they aren't written down, how can we expect new submitters to follow them, or back up our vetos with a policy to point at.

I propose having an up to date style guide which defines the best practises we expect for new codes. That can be stricter than the existing codebase: we want things to improve.

Issue Links

• relates to: HADOOP-12145 Organize and update CodeReviewChecklist wiki