Re: ChangeLogs?

[Johan Rydberg <jrydberg@night.trouble.net>]

Hollis Blanchard <hollis@penguinppc.org> writes:

> A worthy goal... though you don't need a ChangeLog file for that when
> you have version control logs. Your "changeset comment" just goes in
> the commit message.

Commit messages are per-file, not per changeset.

> Also, you can see that changeset comments on a project like the Linux
> kernel are not nearly as verbose as the ChangeLog standards here.

Linux uses BitKeeper, a commerical changeset based VC system.

> Even CVS, which is not exactly a shining star of version control, can
> accomplish this task very easily through either "cvs log <file>" or
> "cvs annotate <file>".

The thing is that you want a greater context than just a single
file.

>> Remember that you should only describe _what_ you have changed.  If
>> you want to clearify something, put it in a comment in the source.
>
> But "new variable" and "new function" isn't even close to telling you
> _what_ .

I think it is.  That is exactly what you have changed: you have added
a new variable or function.  If you want to describe the variable or
function in greater detail, do so in the altered file (the source.)

~j