Re: [PATCH v4] Documentation fix: git log -p does not imply -c.

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Mar 8, 2011, 19:43 UTC
Message-ID: <7vmxl5e6ur.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <1299545378-22036-1-git-send-email-haircut@gmail.com>

Adam Monsen <haircut@gmail.com> writes:

Show 13 quoted lines

> Relates to the thread with subject "frustrated forensics: hard to find
> diff that undid a fix" on the git mailing list.
>
>     http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/168481
>
> I don't wish for anyone to repeat my bungled forensics episode.
> Hopefully this will help others git along happily.
>
> See also:
>
>     http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.version-control.git/89415
>
> Signed-off-by: Adam Monsen <haircut@gmail.com>

Please don't do this.

Re-read what you wrote above while pretending that you do not have any knowledge of the "frustrated forensics" you did. Does it convey _any_ useful information? Log messages should be sufficiently understandable offline without having the web access.

Instead, summarize why the change is necessary. IOW, don't be lazy now while writing the log, to save time for people who later need to read log.

Something like

    Subject: diff format documentation: clarify --cc and -c

    The description was unclear if -c or --cc was the default (--cc is for
    some commands), and incorrectly implied that the default applies to
    all the diff generating commands.

    Most importantly, "log" does not default to "--cc" (it defaults to
    "--no-merges") and "log -p" obeys the user's wish to see non-combined
    format.  Only "diff" (during merge and three-blob comparison) and
    "show" use --cc as the default.

should be sufficient.