> True, but even I avoid patches I don't understand, and "practicing" by
> applying them could lead to a very undesirable outcome, e.g.
> instability.
Right, but being responsible for applying the patch is the only real
incentive anyone has to learn enough to understand its effects. If a
contributor is not responsible, they can always think "oh, Tom will get
it, I'll learn that later."
--Josh Berkus