Re: [RFC, PATCH] git send-email: Make --no-chain-reply-to the default

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Nov 10, 2009, 06:05 UTC
Message-ID: <7vpr7qgbjm.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <20091110052211.GK7897@elte.hu>

Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu> writes:

> +1 for putting it into a .1.6.x stable branch too. (Unless there's a 
> case where the recursive threading is actually useful and is being 
> relied on.)

As I wrote in the LKML message when that patch was made (please see my other message for the URL to the archive), my assessment of this issue is that it would have been the right thing to do if we were doing this now without any existing users, but nobody really cares deeply enough either way to warrant fast tracking the schedule we promised back in August.

It would take a bit stronger nudging than "unless there is a case against changing the default because it is being relied on", as I know that people who rely on would not speak up for a long time. We already saw that it took 6 month between Feb 2009 to Aug 2009 for people who wanted to change the default to notice and complain that the change they were promised did not happen ;-).

Some people will complain when we switch the default to no-chain-reply-to in the 1.7.0 release. I am willing to take flak from them and defend the change.

But I am not convinced that this deserves to be fast-tracked to the 1.6.x series. We gave them until 1.7.0 and I have no good answer to "why didn't you wait as you promised?" I'd rather avoid telling them that "that is how kernel people wanted it, and sorry, their wish trumps yours." if I can.