Re: [PATCH v2] Doc: specify exact scissors line

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Sep 28, 2020, 22:31 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqpn65jzyg.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <20200928202035.24218-1-evan.gates@gmail.com>

Evan Gates <evan.gates@gmail.com> writes:

Show 5 quoted lines

> The existing wording covers most of the requirements of a scissors
> line, but there is no mention of ...
> ...
> Specify the exact line to use ("-- >8 --") instead of trying to document
> all the details.

s/most/some/;

For example, the code has fun heuristics to understand that things like "-- >8 ---- >8 -- cut here -- >8 ---- >8 --" is a scissors line, but we do not document it.

But what we agreed is that it is a bad idea to even attempt to describe the heuristics down to the details and sell the feature as "we accept anything that resembles a perforation drawn or printed on paper". Instead we are giving less choices to make it easier for users to follow, and the updated text is a move in that direction.

So selling this change based on "the existing description does not give enough" is not good.

    The text tries to say the code accepts many variations that
    looks remotely like scissors and perforation line, but gives too
    little detail for users to decide what is and what is not taken
    as a scissors line for themselves.  Instead of describing the
    heuristics more, just spell out what will always be accepted,
    namely "-- >8 --", as it would not help users to give them more
    choices and flexibility and be "creative" in their scissors
    line.

perhaps?

Show 19 quoted lines

> Signed-off-by: Evan Gates <evan.gates@gmail.com>
> ---
> Changes in v2:
> - Specify exact line instead of adding text about 8 character minimum
>
>  Documentation/git-mailinfo.txt | 7 +++----
>  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/Documentation/git-mailinfo.txt b/Documentation/git-mailinfo.txt
> index 3bbc731f67..fbb7d2813f 100644
> --- a/Documentation/git-mailinfo.txt
> +++ b/Documentation/git-mailinfo.txt
> @@ -72,10 +72,9 @@ conversion, even with this flag.
>  	is useful in order to associate commits with mailing list discussions.
>  
>  --scissors::
> +	Remove everything in body before a scissors line ("-- >8 --").
> +	The line represents scissors and perforation marks, and is used to
> +	request the reader to cut the message at that line.  If that line

We want to say "e.g.", i.e. 'a scissors line (e.g. "-- >8 --")', in order to hint that we may accept other forms [*1*], and also to hint that we do not want to go int details.

Other than that, I like the conciseness of the updated text.

[Footnote] *1* This is primarily to be friendly to left-handers to let them write "-- 8< --".