Google Chrome gets new developer hierarchy

From CNET News.com: In its first two years, Chrome development took a more collaborative approach than most Google projects, but now its leaders have decided on more sharply defined leadership roles to better manage the browser's growth.

Instead of notifying a "watchlist" of programmers who are affected by a particular change to the code, a programmer on an "owners" list must now approve the change, high-ranking Chrome engineer Ben Goodger announced yesterday on the developers' mailing list for the open-source Chromium project that underlies Chrome. Goodger wrote:

Much of Chromium's practices are modeled on Google's own internal engineering practices. OWNERS files were one area where we explicitly diverged. Why? In the past I had been concerned about the social effects of OWNERS files--I had been concerned about territoriality which can sometimes creep in any collaborative project. We had encouraged the development of "alternative" means of change notification, and so we have WATCHLISTS. WATCHLISTS proved insufficient for many of us, however. Darin [Fisher, another high-ranking Chrome leader] and I discussed the issue, and talking with other senior engineers decided that OWNERS files seemed like a more comprehensive answer.

The basic problem, he said, is quality control. "Owners files provide a means for people to find engineers experienced in developing specific areas for code reviews. They are designed to help ensure changes don't fall through the cracks and get appropriate scrutiny," he said.

Chrome has open-source foundations, including contributions from programmers outside Google. But as with Linux, Android, MySQL, and many other open-source projects, the approach doesn't mean it's a hobby run by volunteers. The move to the owners system, though, reflects another step toward professional management of the software.

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