Delete ChangeLog files Was :Re: ChangeLog change to .ChangeLog

[Thomas Doerfler]

Am 06.03.2013 19:28, schrieb Ralf Corsepius:
> On 03/06/2013 06:44 PM, Thomas Doerfler wrote:
>> Ralf,
>>
>> Am 06.03.2013 18:34, schrieb Ralf Corsepius:
>>> On 03/06/2013 04:20 PM, Gedare Bloom wrote:
>>>> If the ChangeLog entry text is by and large replicated already in the
>>>> git log, then I see no reason to keep the files hanging around
>>>> bit-rotting.
>>> Again, ... the git-logs are a temporary internal implementation detail,
>>> the ChangeLog files are legal documents.
>>
>> Can you elaborate this more clearly?
> Whatever data is stored in whatever VCS is being used at a certain point
> in time is completely irrelevant.

Decides who?

It documents the evolution of the projects source code more precisely
than a changelog entry, which may only has a manual reference to the
relevant code changed.
> 
>> I can't see any legal character in
>> the changelogs or any RTEMS project files (except the copyright headers
>> and License statements). Nobody sells RTEMS,
> Again, simply accept that ChangeLogs are documents and are legally
> relevant.

I'm an engineer. I hardly accept any information that I don't
understand. Unless I am convinced, that the source of the information
has really deep, trustworthy knowledge in this area.
> 
>> nobody assures the features
>> of RTEMS based on the Changelogs or the git logs. So what exactly do you
>> mean the "legal"?
> Time stamps, authorship, copyrights etc.

Sorry. The ChangeLogs in the current form do not document, WHO has
written/integrated which lines of code into a certain file. It's the VCS
that holds that information. The Changelog only collects claims about
general changes.
> 
>>
>> Right. But there is no RTEMS contract.
> There is a product called RTEMS. The ChangeLogs are part of its legally
> relevant documentation.
> 
> Just wait 10 years, when  "Gready business" sues you, because they got
> to know that your business has sold an RTEMS-based application/product
> in 2006, which as they claim, contains code which as they claim _you
> stole_ from their works.
> 
> You'll soon be greatful, to find publically released ChangeLogs as part
> of sources/tarballs, clearly documenting timeslines, changes, authorship
> etc.

So that's the point and I understand your concerns. But once again, that
changelogs do not even point to certain functions, that have been
added/changed... They are too general when it comes to "which line of
code have been integrated when by whom into the source code". This
information can be extracted from the VCS. You can pull this information
from git even when you want to look back for 6 years, into the good old
CVS times.

Thomas.

> 
> Ralf
> 
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