Re: [PATCH v2] commit: document that $command.signoff will not be added

>
> Every now and then we see this coming up on the list.  Let's help
> new contributors who are not aware of past discussions by clearly
> documenting our past consensus.
>
> Helped-by: brian m. carlson <sandals@crustytoothpaste.net>
> Helped-by: Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>
> Helped-by: Johannes Sixt <j6t@kdbg.org>
> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
> ---
>  * The text is from Elijah and Johannes this round; I am merely
>    playing a copybot.

>  Documentation/gitfaq.adoc         | 19 +++++++++++++++++++
>  Documentation/signoff-option.adoc |  4 ++++
>  2 files changed, 23 insertions(+)
>
> diff --git c/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc w/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc
> index f2917d142c..0e40befb77 100644
> --- c/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc
> +++ w/Documentation/gitfaq.adoc
> @@ -83,6 +83,25 @@ Windows would be the configuration `"C:\Program Files\Vim\gvim.exe" --nofork`,
>  which quotes the filename with spaces and specifies the `--nofork` option to
>  avoid backgrounding the process.
>
> +[[sign-off]]
> +Why not have `commit.signoff` and other configuration variables?::
> +       Git intentionally does not (and will not) provide a
> +       configuration variable, such as `commit.signoff`, to
> +       automatically add `--signoff` by default.  The reason is to
> +       protect the legal and intentional significance of a sign-off.
> +       If there were more automated and widely publicized ways for
> +       sign-offs to be appended, it would become easier for someone
> +       to argue later that a "Signed-off-by" trailer was just added
> +       out of habit or by automation, without the committer's full
> +       awareness or intent to certify their agreement with the
> +       Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) or a similar statement.
> +       This could undermine the sign-off’s credibility in legal or
> +       contractual situations.
> ++
> +There exists `format.signoff`, but that is a historical mistake, and
> +it is not an excuse to pile on more mistakes of the same kind on top.
> +
> +
>  Credentials
>  -----------
>
> diff --git c/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc w/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc
> index cddfb225d1..9a80d60f1b 100644
> --- c/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc
> +++ w/Documentation/signoff-option.adoc
> @@ -16,3 +16,7 @@ endif::git-commit[]
>  +
>  The `--no-signoff` option can be used to countermand an earlier `--signoff`
>  option on the command line.
> ++
> +Git does not (and will not) have a configuration variable to enable
> +the `--signoff` command line option by default; see the
> +`commit.signoff` entry in the gitfaq for more details.