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Re: [RFE] Demilitarize Documentation (was RE: Delivery Status Notification (Failure))

From
Christian Couder <christian.couder@gmail.com>
Date
Feb 19, 2019, 13:52 UTC
Message-ID
<CAP8UFD0WCmPSb1ccj+yRVEMC8T9oFbznJ6PPuOhGC-BCru6uAg@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To
<87o97858ko.fsf@evledraar.gmail.com>

On Tue, Feb 19, 2019 at 12:23 PM Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason <avarab@gmail.com> wrote:

Show 12 quoted lines
>
> Two things:
>
>  1) Whatever anyone's abstract position on the wording of our
>     documentation, either the one stored in git.git or at
>     https://github.com/git/git-scm.com there's only so much a
>     theoretical discussion like this can get us.
>
>     If you're willing to pursue this further I think it's best if that's
>     done in the form of patches to either repositories, either sent here
>     on-list (see Documentation/SubmittingPatches) or as a PR to
>     https://github.com/git/git-scm.com
I agree.
Show 12 quoted lines
>  2) Any piece of software or technical tool is going to unavoidably need
>     to use some amount of jargon, or words that are lifted from a more
>     general vocabulary and intended to be understood in context.
>
>     Thus, when we talk about e.g. "trees" in git, it's understood that
>     we're talking about something in the context of this software
>     project, trying to go by the first Google result of "tree" isn't
>     going to get you anywhere.
>
> I for one thing those git-scm docs could be changed to eliminate those
> words for reasons entirely unrelated to them somehow being religious or
> militaristic.
I agree that it would be a much better outcome of this discussion.
Show 8 quoted lines
>  * The docs already use "integration manager" and then introduce
>    "dictator" as a synonym in the context of explaining the workflow of
>    the kernel.
>
>    They could instead use "main integrator" or something, since the
>    point of the example is to explain how git can be used to manage
>    distributed repositories that are integrated in a hierarchical
>    manner.

I would suggest considering "maintainer" or "main maintainer" or "top level maintainer", as I think "maintainer" is one of the most common word used for the role in the Linux kernel and Git communities. By the way it's often used in expressions like "sub-system maintainer", which maybe could be used to replace "lieutenant".

(In Git Rev News I think I have always used "the Git maintainer" to talk about Junio for example.)

Show 6 quoted lines
>    Making assumptions about how much power the "main integrator" has to
>    approve/reject changes is irrelevant to that explanation.
>
>    E.g. the kernel could also decide to make the "main integrator" some
>    purely automated process that always approves changes from
>    lieutenants and the hierarchical example would be just as true.

Thanks for your insight on this, Christian.

Previous: Michal SuchánekNext: Michal Suchánek
Message 17 of 18 in “Re: [RFE] Demilitarize Documentation (was RE: Delivery Status Notification (Failure))”
  1. Randall S. BeckerFeb 18, 2019
  2. Michal SuchánekFeb 18, 2019
  3. Junio C HamanoFeb 18, 2019
  4. Senol YaziciFeb 19, 2019
  5. Michal SuchánekFeb 19, 2019
  6. Johannes SchindelinFeb 19, 2019
  7. Michal SuchánekFeb 19, 2019
  8. SZEDER GáborFeb 19, 2019
  9. Senol YaziciFeb 19, 2019
  10. Johannes SchindelinFeb 19, 2019
  11. Michal SuchánekFeb 19, 2019
  12. Johannes SchindelinFeb 20, 2019
  13. Philip OakleyFeb 19, 2019
  14. SZEDER GáborFeb 20, 2019
  15. Ævar Arnfjörð BjarmasonFeb 19, 2019
  16. Michal SuchánekFeb 19, 2019
  17. Christian CouderFeb 19, 2019
  18. Michal SuchánekFeb 19, 2019

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