Subject: Re: [PATCH v4 2/2] format-patch: "--rfc=-(WIP)" appends to produce [PATCH (WIP)]

From: Dragan Simic <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 18:34:13 +0200

Hello Junio,

On 2024-04-24 17:25, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Phillip Wood <[email-masked]> writes:
> 
>> I'm not convinced this is a good idea as I'm not sure how adding "RFC"
>> at the end of the subject prefix makes the world better than just
>> having at the start of the prefix and I find using "-" to do that
>> quite confusing.
> 
> I am not convinced it is a good idea, either.  "PATCH (WIP)" was the
> best example I could come up with.  I am also a fan of "a list of
> space separated labels or keywords" you mentioned, but *if* a
> project convention somewhere is to have them before "PATCH", then it
> is not entirely unreasonable to wish to have a way to prepend these
> labels.
> 
> But I am fine to drop it for the sake of simplicity.  It would help
> discourage users from trying to be "original" in a way that does not
> make a material difference.  If a project comes with a concrete need
> to prepend, the patch is always resurrectable from the list archive.

Yes, it would help with discouraging the users from becoming
"inventive", but would also promote the rot of English grammar,
as I already tried to explain. [1][2]

I'm always for simplicity, unless it actually results in some
possibly negative effects.

[1] 
https://lore.kernel.org/git/[email-masked]/
[2] 
https://lore.kernel.org/git/[email-masked]/

> As to the syntax, I think "-" is a fairly good way to indicate
> whether it goes to the front or back.  When told to "Combine '-RFC'
> and 'PATCH'", I expect that most people would give 'PATCH-RFC' and
> not '-RFC PATCH'.

I find the syntax just fine.