Re: [PATCH] log: omit tag prefix for color decoration

From: Andy Koppe <andy.koppe@gmail.com>
Date: Feb 21, 2023, 21:28 UTC
Message-ID: <CAHWeT-bqnwUxcaGOK7XD0wmmc6BaW2x6Gqhu107vZeU=U6Rm8g@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqv8jwggsp.fsf@gitster.g>

On Mon, 20 Feb 2023 at 21:36, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Show 19 quoted lines

>
> Andy Koppe writes:
>
> > Omit the "tag: " prefix for tags in commit decorations when coloring is
> > enabled. The prefix isn't necessary as such when tags are distinguished
> > by color already, and omitting it saves a bit of space and visual noise.
>
> As somebody whose color perception is weaker than other people, I am
> torn about this line of changes.  Accessibiilty folks often warn us
> against designing UI that differentiates two things only by painting
> them in two different colors "to be inclusive", and the above goes
> directly against their guidelines.
>
> The only saving grace in this case is that I expect that tags are
> named very differently from topics in well managed projects, and
> users can tell withotu "tag:" prefix even in the output without
> colors, and that si why I said "I am torn", not I am not outright
> 100% negative, but still I doubt that the upside of shortening 4
> display spaces is worth going directly against inclusion advocates.

I can't argue with that, particularly when changing default behavior.

Would you welcome a patch instead that implements a new %r pretty format placeholder alongside %d and %D that lists the refs separated by spaces only, i.e. without parentheses, commas or tag prefixes?

               %d
                   ref names, like the --decorate option of git-log(1)

               %D
                   ref names without the " (", ")" wrapping.

               %r
                   ref names only

(Having looked at the relevant code, I think it should still be a fairly small change.)