Re: Is it time to drop ChangeLogs?

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Wed, 06 Jul 2016 19:36:30 +0300 Eli Zaretskii <address@hidden> wrote: 

>> From: Ted Zlatanov <address@hidden>
>> Date: Wed, 06 Jul 2016 12:06:28 -0400
>> 
>> ChangeLog-style formatting. Sorry. I was talking about the benefits and
>> reasons for having that specific format and the problems from when the
>> format is not followed (bad formatting, misspellings, etc.)

EZ> What format do you suggest instead?

"Summary line.

Details..."

Where the Details can be in the current or another format or whatever
works for the contributor. The per-file summary would be available from
the pull request system, regardless of the formatting of the commit message.

EZ> The advantage of the current formatting is that we have Emacs features
EZ> which support it very well.  Any other formatting will have to grow a
EZ> similar support first.  And then we all need to re-learn.

Good points. I'm trying to say all the support code can move to the pull
request system, so it won't go away, and the transition can be gradual.

EZ> IOW, isn't this suggestion going to favor casual contributors over
EZ> those who push commits day in and day out?

Yes, exceptions should be made for those regular contributors. But you
know that some features merit discussion, even if a very senior
contributor wants them.

>> I was trying to say that using a pull request system would reduce the
>> need for writing every commit message as if it was going into a
>> ChangeLog, and would give better assurance that mistakes are caught
>> before they get merged. It has many other benefits (code review,
>> community feedback) but I was commenting specifically for ChangeLogs,
>> following up to an old message.

EZ> As I wrote, I have doubts that we will be able to sustain such a
EZ> system.  Maybe I'm wrong.

If I understand correctly, your concern is about logistics rather than
about the fundamental benefits of such a system. I share your concerns
and think the risk is worth the benefit.

Ted