#Linux folks: I have a patch that I'd like to get merged into `Kconfig` - the GTK4 port I was working on while back. Sadly, it looks like the subsystem has went orphaned recently, and as much as I'd like to step up to maintain it I lack the deeper knowledge about the configuration subsystem (it's pretty out of my field of expertise). What do we think, is there still a way to get the patches merged? If I want to do so, do I send them to the general build system maintainers?

This is the subsystem: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/MAINTAINERS#L13192C1-L13198C20

@pojntfx first just send the patches to the mailing list, as that is still alive, with the "general build system maintainers" CCed.

Then see what happens; with a bit of luck someone will look at them and review them; or you could cross-review patches with someone that is in a similar situation.

The "send those directly to Linus", as suggested in a reply by @thomasmey, could be and outcome in the end, but I'd say it's way to early to think about that. [Edit, to clarify: and there are multiple other steps before that becomes the way to go, as mentioned in a reply below]

@kernellogger @pojntfx @thomasmey yep, sending patch is the first step anyway, regardless of actual status in the maintainers file.

@kernellogger @pojntfx @thomasmey I thought the official Maintainer Of Last Resort was akpm, not Linus?
https://docs.kernel.org/process/submitting-patches.html

If you cannot find a maintainer for the subsystem you are working on, Andrew Morton (akpm@linux-foundation.org) serves as a maintainer of last resort.

But yeah, as you said, probably best to try the build system maintainers first...

@kernellogger @pojntfx @thomasmey when I wanted to get stuff fixed in a subsystem whose maintainer was unresponsive and whose email address bounced, I sent my patch to akpm instead, and also sent akpm a patch to remove the dead address from MAINTAINERS, and that worked

@jann @pojntfx @thomasmey yeah, akpm comes before Linus in this case (albeit the latter accepts some patches directly as well, especially for the MAINTAINERS file); sorry, guess I didn't make it clear enough that between "just post the patches" and "send to Linus" that was suggested already there are more steps in between that depend a lot of the outcome from the patch posting

@kernellogger @jann @pojntfx @thomasmey I posted a substantial amount of GNSS driver code twice. Two maintainers ack'ed it, but the GNSS subsystem chief did not respond in any way either time. Alas, I doubt that akpm is too interested in GNSS. I'm planning to try to get the device manufacturer to add "Tested by:", but of course the maintainer may be still ignore it.

@alison @jann @pojntfx @thomasmey well, akpm is unlikely to pick it up, if there is a maintainer.

The big question is: why did the maintainer not respond. Maybe there are bad reasons, but maybe it were just good or understandable reasons (burnout; maybe they were on vacation and deleted all mails when coming back; …).