[RFC] Policy change for ChangeLog

[Derek Atkins]

Quoting Chris Shoemaker <c.shoemaker at Cox.net>:

>> When you leave the ChangeLog generation out of the developer's hands,
>> you can't get this level of detail.
>
> Sure you can.  Just include those details in the commit message.

But then the actual ChangeLog looks... Weird.  Or at least I suspect
it would.  I'd have to take a look and see for sure.

>> Personally I feel you should always run an "svn diff | more" prior
>> to the commit to make sure you're only committing the change(s) you
>> want.  Note that unlike cvs, an svn diff does not touch the network.
>> Indeed, you could even create your ChangeLog entry as you're perusing
>> your svn diff prior to commit..  Then C-x C-s the ChangeLog buffer,
>> M-w to copy the changelog entry, and then C-y once you get the svn commit
>> log buffer.  Then just type what you want for the email subject in
>> the top line of the buffer and you're done.
>
> Ok, yeah, that's pretty much the process I envisioned.  When you write
> it out like that it seems even more circular.  Svn knows what files we
> changed, so we:
>  1) ask it what we changed,
>  2) cut-n-paste file list into ChangeLog,
>  3) describe our commit,
>  4) cut-n-paste back into svn when it asks why we're
> changing the files.
>
> I'm sure I'll be glad when I can skip 1, 2 and 4.  And for the poor
> souls who aren't using emacs... :(

I'll skip the religious question of why you aren't using emacs...  (But I
think that if you were a lot of your issues would just go away)..  However,
I will say that you CANNOT and SHOULD NOT skip step 1.  You should ALWAYS
ALWAYS ALWAYS run a "svn diff" prior to commit to audit your own changes.

I admit that steps 2 and 4 may seem superfluous, but with the right tools
it takes zero time.  You're the one who keeps talking about using the
right tools for the job.  I maintain "emacs" is a good one :)

> -chris

-derek

-- 
       Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
       Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board  (SIPB)
       URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/    PP-ASEL-IA     N1NWH
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