Re: [PATCH v2 0/6] git-submodule.sh: convert part of cmd_update to C

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jul 17, 2018, 19:51 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqa7qpod29.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAGZ79kZtrmjODGi1j-HRbchZYuALHnms22=wWBV1AF+zUBru_g@mail.gmail.com>

Stefan Beller <sbeller@google.com> writes:

> Actually I thought it was really cool, i.e. when using your queued branch
> instead of my last sent branch, I can see any edits *you* did
> (including fixing up typos or applying at slightly different bases).

Absolutely. I did not say that there needs a mode to ignore log message.

Show 7 quoted lines

> The sign offs are a bit unfortunate as they are repetitive.
> I have two conflicting points of view on that:
>
> (A) This sign off is inherent to the workflow. So we could
> change the workflow, i.e. you pull series instead of applying them.
> I think this "more in git, less in email" workflow would find supporters,
> such as DScho (cc'd).

Sign-off is inherent to the project, in the sense that we want to see how the change flowed recorded in the commits.

With a pull-request based workflow, until Git is somehow improved so that a "pull" becomes "fetch and rebase what got fetched on top of my stuff, and add my sign-off while at it" (which is the opposite of the usual "pull --rebase"), we would lose the ability to fully "use" Git to run this project, as we would lose most sign-offs, unlike the e-mail based workflow, which we can use Git fully to have it do its job of recording necessary information.

And much more importantly, when "pull-request" based workflow is improved enough so that your original without my sign-off (and you shouldn't, unless you are relaying my changes) becomes what I pulled, which does have my sign-off, range-diff that compares both histories does need to deal with a pair of commits with only one side having a sign-off. So switching the tool is not a proper solution to work around the "sign-off noise" we observed. One side having a sign-off while the other side does not is inherent to what we actively want, and you are letting your tail wag your dog by suggesting to discard it, which is disappointing.

> The other (2) downside is that everyone else (authors, reviewers) have
> to adapt as well. For authors this might be easy to adapt (push instead
> of sending email sounds like a win).

As I most often edit the log message and material below three-dash lines (long) _after_ format-patch produced files, I do not think it is a win to force me to push and ask to pull.

> (B) The other point of view that I can offer is that we teach range-diff
> to ignore certain patterns. Maybe in combination with interpret-trailers
> this can be an easy configurable thing, or even a default to ignore
> all sign offs?

That indicates the same direction as I alluded to in the message you are responding to, I guess, which is a good thing.