Agreed! The broader R&D group seems to work on symbolic execution, and given the patches, which it seems to stem from.
Most charitably, the tool makes changes maintainers largely don't care about -- see the revert reviews that characterize past acceptances as being rubberstamping of irrelevant patches to irrelevant code -- so this just violates basics like informed consent by not disclosing what's happening. Maintainers had to figure out the nonsense, and instead of declining a second round of undesirable non-opt-in participation, banned. What would normally happen is the patches would be tagged w/ the R&D tool, so people know they're part of an experiment, and can ignore / ask them to stop / consent through action.
Less charitably, it is a DoS attack on reviewers, and who knows what else is in here.
Most charitably, the tool makes changes maintainers largely don't care about -- see the revert reviews that characterize past acceptances as being rubberstamping of irrelevant patches to irrelevant code -- so this just violates basics like informed consent by not disclosing what's happening. Maintainers had to figure out the nonsense, and instead of declining a second round of undesirable non-opt-in participation, banned. What would normally happen is the patches would be tagged w/ the R&D tool, so people know they're part of an experiment, and can ignore / ask them to stop / consent through action.
Less charitably, it is a DoS attack on reviewers, and who knows what else is in here.
Either way... not good.