Re: Working with public-inbox.org [Was: [PATCH] rev-parse: respect core.hooksPath in --git-path]

Stefan Beller [off-list ref] writes:

In your work flow, how do you respect the cover letter?
e.g. in 3787e3c16ced:

    Merge branch 'ew/http-backend-batch-headers'

    The http-backend (the server-side component of smart-http
    transport) used to trickle the HTTP header one at a time.  Now
    these write(2)s are batched.

    * ew/http-backend-batch-headers:
      http-backend: buffer headers before sending

Is the text from the original author (and if so from which version
of the cover letter) or is it your work?

The source of truth in the merge log message is the "What's cooking"
report.  I really prefer to write these in my own words, as that is
a good yardstick to measure how much/little I understand the topic.
If I cannot describe it concisely, in a way suitable as an entry in
the release notes, that means I am merging a topic I do not have a
good idea about, which is quite irresponsive.  Forcing me to write
these myself keeps me honest.

Of course, if a cover letter describes the topic well, it would help
me write the entry in the "What's cooking" report.

It is a bit tricky to aim for the automation, though.  The cover is
an overview of the proposed log messages and typically tells a story
"I do this, and then this, and finally that", plus a reroll-specific
commentary like "what changed since the last round".  On the other
hand, the entries in the release notes gives a description of what
happened from a third-party's point of view.  They are told in
different voice for different target audience.