Comments on: Writing better commit messages http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/ { on programming and the internets, every monday } Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:51:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: louis http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4416 louis Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:54:07 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4416 @Bill King, I have a few private repos that I just looked at the git/svn logs for just to see what I'd think about opening them up for the world to see. It wasn't so good, heh. I'll need to keep that one in mind. @Bill King,

I have a few private repos that I just looked at the git/svn logs for just to see what I’d think about opening them up for the world to see. It wasn’t so good, heh. I’ll need to keep that one in mind.

]]> By: Ryan Kohn http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4398 Ryan Kohn Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:23:20 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4398 The trick to a good commit message is thinking about how it will be used by someone else, or even yourself, in the future. Empathy goes a long way in building a good team. The trick to a good commit message is thinking about how it will be used by someone else, or even yourself, in the future. Empathy goes a long way in building a good team.

]]> By: Bill King http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4397 Bill King Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:26:46 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4397 As our repository is going public in a matter of days/weeks, may I add, don't write something you wouldn't want seen in public. We've chopped our commit history to a week ago, for privacy law reasons as much as anything else, but still.... there were some pretty gruesome commit messages, and this is only in the 4.x stream. As our repository is going public in a matter of days/weeks, may I add, don’t write something you wouldn’t want seen in public. We’ve chopped our commit history to a week ago, for privacy law reasons as much as anything else, but still…. there were some pretty gruesome commit messages, and this is only in the 4.x stream.

]]> By: Robert Cowham http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4392 Robert Cowham Tue, 31 Mar 2009 20:58:59 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4392 Some good thoughts. Chris Seiwald (founder of www.perforce.com and an author of a chapter in "Beautiful Code") gave a keynote in which he recommended: - restrict all whitespace changes to a specific type and document as such - restrict refactorings (that should not change functionality) to their own commit (and document) - restrict functionality changes (bug fix or new feature) to their own changelists (and document) i.e. don't mix different types of change, and put a standard prefix for each type of change to identify it in your commit message. Excellent idea (not always easy to restrict oneself to!). Robert Some good thoughts.

Chris Seiwald (founder of http://www.perforce.com and an author of a chapter in “Beautiful Code”) gave a keynote in which he recommended:

- restrict all whitespace changes to a specific type and document as such

- restrict refactorings (that should not change functionality) to their own commit (and document)

- restrict functionality changes (bug fix or new feature) to their own changelists (and document)

i.e. don’t mix different types of change, and put a standard prefix for each type of change to identify it in your commit message.

Excellent idea (not always easy to restrict oneself to!).

Robert

]]> By: Binny V A http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4361 Binny V A Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:16:17 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4361 Great advice. I'll try to follow them next time onwards. @angelo That's a good convention. Thanks for the tip. Great advice. I’ll try to follow them next time onwards.

@angelo That’s a good convention. Thanks for the tip.

]]> By: Jake Boxer http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4357 Jake Boxer Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:27:45 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4357 Back at the place I interned over the summer, one guy used the same message every time he committed: "Updated code". Back at the place I interned over the summer, one guy used the same message every time he committed: “Updated code”.

]]> By: bowl http://lbrandy.com/blog/2009/03/writing-better-commit-messages/comment-page-1/#comment-4356 bowl Tue, 31 Mar 2009 04:05:56 +0000 http://lbrandy.com/blog/?p=695#comment-4356 My favorite ones are the guys that constantly use "interim commit" as their sole message. Thanks dude! My favorite ones are the guys that constantly use “interim commit” as their sole message. Thanks dude!

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