another new annoying feature

[Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.]

In <20090526.190126.26693840.wl at gnu.org>, Werner LEMBERG wrote:
>>>Hrmpf.  This is the same as if you told me to use `git log' to check
>>>for recent kernel changes.  Far too much entries!
>> You wanted it "in detail".
>You know too well that not all SVN commits deserve an entry in a
>detailed NEWS file.

No, I'm of the considered opinion that there is no need for a NEWS file when 
the VCS keeps perfectly good logs.  I'm also of the opinion that only high-
quality commits should be made to the central repository so, yes, each one 
deserves a NEWS/Changelog entry.

It is just my opinion though.

I do not know of a NEWS or Changelog for the KDE SVN repository, but I don't 
follow it either.

>> While I don't know the equivalent in svn, there might be something
>> like 'git shortlog'.
>Of course there is.  From kernel version 2.6.12 to today there are
>more than 145000 entries -- this is 145000 lines in `git shortlog'...

That seems about right.  Kernel development is fast.  It could be 
summarized, but only by discarding information based on its (lack of) value 
to your audience.  That would be inappropriate for a Changelog/NEWS, since 
your audience is power-users and developers.  They are a varied bunch, and 
what is overly important to one is just noise to another.

>> Also, changes to such a file are more difficult to merge between
>> diverging branches; specifically because most changes are done at
>> the top by inserting some new lines.
>Indeed.  But in most cases this is negligible -- usually, there are
>far more difficult issues to handle while merging.

Depends on your workflow.  If there was one conflict that had to be manually 
resolved each time Linus merged, he'd go mad.  *Lots* of merges in a 
codebase as large as KDE (or the kernel) can be done automagically, 
especially if (one-way) merging is something done often.  If suddenly *no* 
merge can be done automatically development slows significantly.

Even in a codebase as small as git, having two patch sets that conflict is a 
noteworthy event that gets discussed on the mailing list and resolved "in 
public".  Standard operating practice is for multiple patch sets to be 
merged in with 0 conflicts every day.
-- 
Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.           	 ,= ,-_-. =.
bss at iguanasuicide.net            	((_/)o o(\_))
ICQ: 514984 YM/AIM: DaTwinkDaddy 	 `-'(. .)`-'
http://iguanasuicide.net/        	     \_/

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