MindSpore Enhancement Proposals (MEPs)

A MindSpore Enhancement Proposal (MEP) is a way to propose, communicate and coordinate on new efforts for the MindSpore project. The MEP guidelines adopted here is heavily influenced by the Kubernetes Enhancement Proposals (KEPs) designed by Kubernetes community.

NOTICE: For similar structures some of the same wordings from KEPs are borrowed to adhere to the originally construed meaning.

Quick start for the MEP process

1. Socialize an idea with a sponsoring SIG. Make sure that others think the work is worth taking up and will help review the MEP and any code changes required.
2. Follow the process outlined in the MEP template.

FAQs

Do I have to use the MEP process?

More or less, yes.

Having a rich set of MEPs in one place will make it easier for people to track what is going in the community and find a structured historical record.

MEPs are required for most non-trivial changes. Specifically:

• Anything that may be controversial
• Most new features (except the very smallest)
• Major changes to existing features
• Changes that are wide ranging or impact most of the project

Beyond these, it is up to each SIG to decide when they want to use the MEP process. It should be light-weight enough that MEPs are the default position.

Why would I want to use the MEP process?

Our aim with MEPs is to clearly communicate new efforts to the MindSpore contributor community. As such, we want to build a well curated set of clear proposals in a common format with useful metadata.

Benefits to MEP users (in the limit):

• Cross indexing of MEPs so that users can find connections and the current status of any MEP.
• A clear process with approvers and reviewers for making decisions. This will lead to more structured decisions that stick as there is a discoverable record around the decisions.

We are inspired by Kubernetes KEPs, IETF RFCs, Python PEPs and Rust RFCs.

Do I put my MEP in the root MEP directory or a SIG subdirectory?

Almost all MEPs should go into SIG subdirectories. In very rare cases, such as MEPs about MEPs, we may choose to keep them in the root.

What will it take for MEPs to "graduate" out of "beta"?

Things we'd like to see happen to consider MEPs well on their way:

• A set of MEPs that show healthy process around describing an effort and recording decisions in a reasonable amount of time.
• Presubmit checks for MEPs around metadata format and markdown validity.

Even so, the process can evolve. As we find new techniques we can improve our processes.

What is the number at the beginning of the MEP name?

MEPs are now prefixed with their creation time (eg. yyyy-mm-dd). This gives both the MEP a unique identifier and provides an easy breadcrumb for people to find the issue where the current state of the MEP is being updated.