Foam RFCs

Many changes, including bug fixes and documentation improvements can be implemented and reviewed via the normal GitHub pull request workflow.

Some changes though are "substantial", and we ask that these be put through a bit of a design process and produce a consensus among the Foam maintainers and the sub-teams.

The "RFC" (request for comments) process is intended to provide a consistent and controlled path for new features to enter the project.

Active RFC List

Foam is still actively developing this process, and it will still change as more features are implemented and the community settles on specific approaches to feature development.

When to follow this process

You should consider using this process if you intend to make "substantial" changes to Foam or its documentation. Some examples that would benefit from an RFC are:

• A new feature that creates new API surface area or UI functionality
• The removal of features that already shipped.
• The introduction of new idiomatic usage or conventions, even if they do not include code changes to Foam itself.

The RFC process is a great opportunity to get more eyeballs on your proposal before it becomes a part of a released version of Foam. Quite often, even proposals that seem "obvious" can be significantly improved once a wider group of interested people have a chance to weigh in.

The RFC process can also be helpful to encourage discussions about a proposed feature as it is being designed, and incorporate important constraints into the design while it's easier to change, before the design has been fully implemented.

Some changes do not require an RFC:

• Rephrasing, reorganizing or refactoring
• New documentation sections
• Bugfixes, minor improvements to existing functionality
• Additions only likely to be noticed by other maintainers-of-Foam, invisible to users-of-Foam.

What the process is

In short, to get a major feature added to Foam, one usually first gets the RFC merged into the RFC repo as a markdown file. At that point the RFC is 'active' and may be implemented with the goal of eventual inclusion into Foam.

• Fork the RFC repo http://github.com/foambubble/rfcs
• Copy 0000-template.md to docs/0000-my-feature.md (where 'my-feature' is descriptive. Don't assign an RFC number yet).
• Change the title of the file to match the file name (e.g. # 0000 Template to # 0000 My Feature).
• Add a Foam-style wiki link to docs/index.md and ensure link reference definitions are appropriately generated.
• Fill in the RFC. Put care into the details: RFCs that do not present convincing motivation, demonstrate understanding of the impact of the design, or are disingenuous about the drawbacks or alternatives tend to be poorly-received.
• Submit a pull request. As a pull request the RFC will receive design feedback from the larger community, and the author should be prepared to revise it in response.
• Build consensus and integrate feedback. RFCs that have broad support are much more likely to make progress than those that don't receive any comments.
• Eventually, the team will decide whether the RFC is a candidate for inclusion in Foam.
• An RFC can be modified based upon feedback from the team and community. Significant modifications may trigger a new final comment period.
• An RFC may be rejected by the team after public discussion has settled and comments have been made summarizing the rationale for rejection. A member of the team should then close the RFCs associated pull request.
• An RFC may be accepted at the close of its final comment period. A team member will merge the RFCs associated pull request, at which point the RFC will become 'active'.

The RFC life-cycle

Once an RFC becomes active, then authors may implement it and submit the feature as a pull request to the Foam repo. Becoming 'active' is not a rubber stamp, and in particular still does not mean the feature will ultimately be merged; it does mean that the core team has agreed to it in principle and are amenable to merging it.

Furthermore, the fact that a given RFC has been accepted and is 'active' implies nothing about what priority is assigned to its implementation, nor whether anybody is currently working on it. The team or sub-team taking responsibility of the feature will choose how to prioritize it.

Modifications to active RFCs can be done in followup PRs. We strive to write each RFC in a manner that it will reflect the final design of the feature; but the nature of the process means that we cannot expect every merged RFC to actually reflect what the end result will be at the time of the next major release; therefore we try to keep each RFC document somewhat in sync with the language feature as planned, tracking such changes via followup pull requests to the document.

Implementing an RFC

The author of an RFC is not obligated to implement it. Of course, the RFC author (like any other developer) is welcome to post an implementation for review after the RFC has been accepted.

The likelihood of a feature getting shipped is significantly improved if you are able to participate in implementing yourself, or if you are able to rally other contributors to your cause and motivate them to work on the feature. A feature may be worked on by the same person(s) who created the RFC, but this is not a requirement. It is perfectly valid to open a RFC without intending (or being able) to implement it yourself.

If you are interested in working on the implementation for an 'active' RFC, but cannot determine if someone else is already working on it, feel free to ask (e.g. by leaving a comment on the associated issue).

This RFC process is subject to change. If it's not working for us, we'll improve it, or replace it with a more suitable process.

Foams's RFC process owes its inspiration to the React RFC process, which in turn takes inspiration from Yarn RFC process, Rust RFC process, and Ember RFC process