Re: Is it time to drop ChangeLogs?

[Karl Fogel]

Paul Eggert <address@hidden> writes:
>Yes, the ChangeLog format is useful. I use it myself for commits I
>make to GNU projects (as well as some non-GNU projects, e.g.,
>https://github.com/eggert/tz). Perhaps the format could be improved,
>but that should be a different thread.
>
>On 03/09/2016 07:53 AM, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
>> So removing ChangeLog files will be a bad blow to our ability to
>> easily and conveniently research the past,
>
>No, this doesn't follow. If we use ChangeLog formats in commit
>messages, we can still research the past easily and conveniently.
>
>> If we drop the ChangeLog files, there's no way we can explain why we
>> ask for commit log messages in ChangeLog format, so the next logical
>> step is to drop that as well, and we will then lose valuable
>> information.
>
>It's not a logical step at all, and we already have an explanation of
>why we ask for ChangeLog format in CONTRIBUTE. Perhaps the explanation
>can be improved, but that's true no matter what approach we take
>(assuming we continue to prefer ChangeLog format).

What Paul said.

The conflation of "ChangeLog-style entries" with "ChangeLog files" has been a 
persistent anti-pattern in this discussion.  It just causes confusion.  It 
would help if we remained clear about the distinction, since the former does 
not imply the latter.

This isn't merely a theoretical distinction.  I've been writing all my commit 
messages in the style of a ChangeLog entry for as long as I can remember (not 
just in this project), and 'git log' shows that other developers have been 
doing that in this project too.  Which is good, since that's exactly what the 
CONTRIBUTE guidelines currently recommend.

-K