Re: [RFC] git-format-patch: default to --from to avoid spoofed mails?

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jul 28, 2016, 21:37 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqq8twlqwan.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <20160728211149.GA371@x>

Josh Triplett <josh@joshtriplett.org> writes:

Show 5 quoted lines

> I'd like to propose changing the default behavior of git-format-patch to
> --from (and adding a --from-author option to override, and perhaps a
> config setting).  This will not change the output *except* when
> formatting patches authored by someone else.  git-am and git-send-email
> both handle the --from format without any issues.

I see this in "format-patch --help":

           Note that this option is only useful if you are actually
           sending the emails and want to identify yourself as the
           sender, but retain the original author (and git am will
           correctly pick up the in-body header).  Note also that
           git send-email already handles this transformation for
           you, and this option should not be used if you are
           feeding the result to git send-email.

The first one says "only useful", but it seems what it really means is "it becomes no-op if you are sending your own patch anyway". So that one does not worry me. What is most worrysome is the latter half of the last sentence. Is it really "should not be", or is it merely "use of this option is just a waste of time, as you would get exactly the same result anyway"? If it is the latter, that is fine.

One thing I absolutely do not want to see is people to start repeating their own ident on in-body "From: " header when they send their own patch. That would waste everybody's time pointing out "You do not have to do that, it merely adds noise". As long as you can guarantee that your change won't increase the rate of that, I am fine with the proposal.

Thanks.