[PATCH 7/5] SubmittingPatches: explain why 'next' and above are inappropriate base

From

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>

Date

Jul 26, 2023, 05:17 UTC

Message-ID

<xmqqbkfzfdzo.fsf_-_@gitster.g>

In-Reply-To

<pull.1556.v3.git.1690340701.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

Helped-by: Linus Arver <linusa@google.com>
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 Documentation/SubmittingPatches | 12 ++++++++----
 1 file changed, 8 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/SubmittingPatches b/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
index d1e3783978..559c02c90c 100644
--- a/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
+++ b/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
@@ -57,10 +57,14 @@ latest HEAD commit of `maint` or `master` based on the following cases:
 
 This also means that `next` or `seen` are inappropriate starting points
 for your work, if you want your work to have a realistic chance of
-graduating to `master`.  They are simply not designed to provide a
-stable base for new work, because they are (by design) frequently
-re-integrated with incoming patches on the mailing list and force-pushed
-to replace previous versions of these branches.
+graduating to `master`.  They are simply not designed to be used as a
+base for new work; they are only there to make sure that topics in
+flight work well together. This is why both `next` and `seen` are
+frequently re-integrated with incoming patches on the mailing list and
+force-pushed to replace previous versions of themselves. A topic that is
+literally built on top of `next` cannot be merged to 'master' without
+dragging in all the other topics in `next`, some of which may not be
+ready.
 
 For example, if you are making tree-wide changes, while somebody else is
 also making their own tree-wide changes, your work may have severe

-- 
2.41.0-450-ga80be15292