[Python-Dev] We should be using a tool for code reviews

[Guido van Rossum]

I would like to recommend that the Python core developers start using
a code review tool such as Rietveld or Reviewboard. I don't really
care which tool we use (I'm sure there are plenty of pros and cons to
each) but I do think we should get out of the stone age and start
using a tool for the majority of our code reviews.

While I would personally love to see Rietveld declared the official
core Python code review tool, I realize that since I wrote as a Google
engineer and it is running on Google infrastructure (App Engine), I
can't be fully objective about the tool choice -- even though it is
open source, has several non-Googler maintainers, and can be run
outside App Engine as well.

But I do think that using a specialized code review tool rather than
unstructured email plus a general-purpose issue tracker can hugely
improve developer performance and also increase community
participation. (A code review tool makes it much more convenient for a
senior reviewer to impart their wisdom to a junior developer without
appearing judgmental or overbearing.)

See also this buzz thread:
http://www.google.com/buzz/115212051037621986145/At6Rj82Kret/When-will-the-Python-dev-community-start-using

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)