Linus Torvalds Asks Kernel Developers To Write Better Git Merge Commit Messages

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linus Torvalds Asks Kernel Developers To Write Better Git Merge Commit Messages

Yesterday when announcing the Linux 6.12-rc2 kernel, Linus Torvalds asked that the kernel maintainers do a better job moving forward with their commit messages...

https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linus-Better-Commit-Messages

[mdedetrich]

Nothing controversial here, this is pretty standard and all of the OS projects that I work on/maintain (as well as my day job) uses imperative language for git commit messages.

[reba]

That's how we do it, too. Clear, precise, active. Leave prosa for newsblogs.

[davidbepo]

completely agree

[stormcrow]

English teachers all over would be proud.

[TheJackiNonster]

Isn't this potentially an actual use case for LLMs? I mean formatting and correcting grammar in a commit message to be overall consistent should be something to solve automatically, right?

[TheMightyBuzzard]

Isn't this potentially an actual use case for LLMs? I mean formatting and correcting grammar in a commit message to be overall consistent should be something to solve automatically, right?

If "should be" and "is" are guaranteed to overlap completely on a Venn diagram, sure. Otherwise you're creating extra, horribly annoying work for yourself.

[Daktyl198]

Isn't this potentially an actual use case for LLMs? I mean formatting and correcting grammar in a commit message to be overall consistent should be something to solve automatically, right?

Not really, because the LLM wouldn't have context about the code. So in the example Linus gave, it wouldn't be able to tell you what it fixes the null reference in. Sure it could tell you the function name, but not the context around it or why it needed to be fixed.

[bug77]

Been telling that to devs for years. Newsflash, the devs are still winning

[uxmkt]

Been telling that to devs for years. Newsflash, the devs are still winning

Those who do [the work], decide [how to do it].