Followthrough

At this point, you have followed the guidelines given so far and, with the addition of your own engineering skills, have posted a perfect series of patches. One of the biggest mistakes that even experienced kernel developers can make is to conclude that their work is now done. In truth, posting patches indicates a transition into the next stage of the process, with, possibly, quite a bit of work yet to be done.

It is a rare patch which is so good at its first posting that there is no room for improvement. The kernel development process recognizes this fact, and, as a result, is heavily oriented toward the improvement of posted code. You, as the author of that code, will be expected to work with the kernel community to ensure that your code is up to the kernel’s quality standards. A failure to participate in this process is quite likely to prevent the inclusion of your patches into the mainline.