Re: ChangeLog?

[Nick Roberts <nickrob@snap.net.nz>]

 >         I gather the documentation contradicts this position.
 > 
 >     No, it doesn't.  That was a misunderstanding.
 > 
 >     In Emacs, the approach we use is that all changes are listed in
 >     ChangeLog.

That's interesting because the entry below (Types of Log File) that you wrote
(RMS) is only recorded in the CVS log.

There appear to be many files, that aren't part of the source code, that don't
get a ChangeLog entry e.g NEWS, FOR-RELEASE, documentation etc. I see no
problem with that, but I find it essential for the source code (C, lisp etc)
to understand what has caused a change in Emacs' behaviour, as I'm sure
others, who dig deeper into the code, do.

 > Which ChangeLog?  The Emacs CVS offers two ChangeLogs and in
 >     (emacs)Types of Log File
 > the Emacs manual says
 > 
 >     When you use version control, you can use just the per-file log if
 >     you wish, or you can use both kinds of logs.  ...
 > 
 > So I originally used the smaller, per-file ChangeLog.  Miles persuaded
 > me to add a comment to the larger ChangeLog, which I did.
 > 
 > Shall I change the documentation as I suggested to:
 > 
 >         emacs/man/files.texi   
 >         Types of Log File
 > 
 >     When you use a version control system that provides a per-file
 >     log, you should use @strong{both} the the per-file log and the
 >     more general @file{ChangeLog}.  This is because it is inconvenient
 >     or impossible for someone using a different version control system
 >     to access another version control system's per-file log.  This
 >     policy is different from the past, when you recorded small changes
 >     in the per-file log only.
 > 
 >     Typically you want to write just one entry for each change.  You
 >     can write the entry in @file{ChangeLog}, using the @kbd{C-x 4 a}
 >     command (@pxref{Change Log}), and then copy it to the log buffer
 >     when you check in the change.  Or you can write the entry in the
 >     log buffer while checking in the change, using the @kbd{C-x v v}
 >     command, and later use the @kbd{C-x v a} command to copy it to the
 >     more general @file{ChangeLog} (@pxref{Change Logs and VC}).

I don't even see why this node is present, let alone why it should be expanded.
This manual is meant to about Emacs, not methods of version control/change
control.


Nick