When I first started contributing to QEMU, I came across a lot of new vocabulary terms and concepts. One term that confused me at first was “RFC”. My mentors asked me to submit an RFC for a patch series I was working on. I wasn’t sure what an RFC was or what I needed to do.
Luckily, QEMU has great documentation that explains what an RFC is:
https://www.qemu.org/docs/master/devel/submitting-a-patch.html#use-the-rfc-tag-if-needed
“RFC” stands for “Request For Comments”. An RFC means you aren’t asking for your patch series to be immediately applied, but want to get early feedback and review. Reasons for an RFC include:
• The patch depends on upcoming kernel changes, so the patch series is blocked. But it’s still worth reviewing.
• The patch series isn’t finished yet. You want feedback on a major API change or design before continuing work.
At first, I was hesitant to ask what an RFC was and how I should submit one. I worried that as an intern, I should already understand the process. But after searching QEMU’s documentation and seeing RFC used in the mailing list, I realized I wasn’t the only one who didn’t fully understand. Other newcomers to the project were likely also unsure.
By asking my mentors and on the mailing list about RFCs, I helped clarify for others. My mentors pointed me to helpful resources and I submitted my RFC patch as a draft to get early feedback.
If you’re worried about asking questions in your open source community, remember that everyone starts out not knowing things. Your questions will help other newcomers who are also unsure. Don’t be afraid to ask mentors or others in the community chat. They want to see you succeed, and will be happy to point you to resources to help you learn.
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