Re: [Monotone-devel] 0.48 rants

[Ethan Blanton]

Markus Wanner spake unto us the following wisdom:
> I've recently upgraded to mtn 0.48 and certainly appreciate some of the
> improvements. However, I find it utterly annoying to have to scroll down
> to enter the commit message in the editor. None of any other VCS I know
> does that. I'd like to re-organize the default template.

I've been intending to send something about this myself ... the first
time I committed with 0.48, I tried two or three times, with mtn
aborting the commit each time, before I figured out that I was putting
my commit message in an unacceptable location.  I Really Expected to
be able to put my commit message on the first blank line, which wasn't
correct.  First thing in the file would be even better.

There's just too much text above the commit message, and the semantics
of how the message is treated are just too complicated.  I highly
recommend either allowing the user to put the commit message first,
following it with the option headers and pages of text that no one
will read ;-), or at the least putting the option headers in first,
followed by a blank area where the user can type a commit message,
followed by the text that no one will read.  (The latter is actually
quite OK with me, I've used such a system in the past and I did not
find it confusing... maybe OpenCM?)

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
                -- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764

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