Re: [PATCH] format-patch: allow a non-integral version numbers

From: Đoàn Trần Công Danh <congdanhqx@gmail.com>
Date: Mar 17, 2021, 11:46 UTC
Message-ID: <YFHsHg/R9la3IwEv@danh.dev>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqzgzsuibf.fsf@gitster.g>

On 2021-02-25 10:13:24-0800, Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:

Show 12 quoted lines

> "ZheNing Hu via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:
> 
> > From: ZheNing Hu <adlternative@gmail.com>
> >
> > Usually we can only use `format-patch -v<n>` to generate integral
> > version numbers patches, but if we can provide `format-patch` with
> > non-integer versions numbers of patches, this may help us to send patches
> > such as "v1.1" versions sometimes.
> 
> I am not in principle opposed to support a fractional version number
> that comes after an integral one, which allows users to signal that
> it is a minor correction that does not deserve a full version bump.

I'm late into the party, but this rational sounds greate to me.

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> If we were to do this, I would probably suggest a preliminary patch
> that refactors the hardcoded "reroll_count - 1" out of diff_title()
> so that the helper takes two "reroll count strings", i.e. reroll
> count for this round, and the previous round, as two separate
> parameters.  Teach the caller to pass "reroll_count - 1" for the new
> parameter in this preliminary step.

However, if it's only a minor correction to the major version, I _think_ it makes better sense to compare with the major version instead of comparing with another minor version. When a reviewer reviews v3.5, they can just compare to v3. In a hypothetical world, when another reviewer jump in and a major change required, v4 reroll also compare with v3.

In other words, we will have something likes:

 - v3   vs v2
 - v3.1 vs v3
 - v3.2 vs v3
 ....
 - v4   vs v3

The good side of this approach is: the logic to choose previous version is simple.

The downside of this approach is: reviewers need to re-read the changes in v3.1 v3.2, etc... However, we can reasonably expect those changes are small enough, they're minor changes after all.

And they will need to re-read all the change if the major verison was increased.

-- 
Danh