Re: [PATCH] commit: Add commit.signoff configuration option

From: Collin Funk <collin.funk1@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 5, 2025, 01:46 UTC
Message-ID: <87wm9rklir.fsf@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqq4iwvfx8s.fsf@gitster.g>

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

Show 16 quoted lines

> Chris Down <chris@chrisdown.name> writes:
>
>> Looking at public dotfiles, many users already work around this with
>> global shell aliases for "commit --signoff". This creates the exact
>> problem
>
> Users conciously using a general customization mechanism to express
> specific intent like the above is one thing.  Project giving users a
> tool that is specifically designed to casually set and forget before
> even understanding the implications is another.
>
> So no, anything that specifically targets commit.signoff would not
> fall into the same category as end-users creating aliases for
> themselves to use, I would have to say.  And we do not want to give
> an impression that we give tools specifically designed to encourage
> users making casual sign-offs.

I agree.

Although the FSF copyright assignment needed to contribute to some GNU projects is time-consuming, it forces the contributor to consider "Do I own the rights to the code I create?" This isn't the case in many US states if you are an exempt employee, which most Software Developers are.

Similarly, when you sign-off to the DCO you also acknowledge that you have the rights to license your work under the projects license. By adding this option, I worry that contributors will just configure it globally as a prerequisite to their work being accepted, and not consider whether they are even allowed to make the contribution in the first place.

Collin