diff mbox series

[v2,1/3] Documentation: clarify and expand description of --signoff

Message ID efec40f9432bfba531b4a6c9aed50d8f5e1aec13.1603142543.git.bkuhn@sfconservancy.org (mailing list archive)
State New, archived
Headers show
Series clarify and expand description of --signoff & related fixes | expand

Commit Message

Bradley M. Kuhn Oct. 19, 2020, 9:25 p.m. UTC 
Building on past documentation improvements in Commit
b2c150d3aa (Expand documentation describing --signoff, 2016-01-05),
further clarify that any project using Git may and often does set its
own policy.

However, leave intact reference to the Linux DCO, which Git also
uses.  It is reasonable for Git to advocate for its own Signed-off-by
methodology in its documentation, as long as the documentation
remains respectful that YMMV and other projects may well have very
different contributor representations tied to Signed-off-by.

Signed-off-by: Bradley M. Kuhn <bkuhn@sfconservancy.org>
Signed-off-by: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
---
 Documentation/git-commit.txt    | 13 ++++++++-----
 Documentation/merge-options.txt | 13 ++++++++-----
 2 files changed, 16 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)
diff mbox series

Patch

diff --git a/Documentation/git-commit.txt b/Documentation/git-commit.txt
index a3baea32ae..93bbae4ded 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-commit.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-commit.txt
@@ -166,11 +166,14 @@  The `-m` option is mutually exclusive with `-c`, `-C`, and `-F`.
 -s::
 --signoff::
 	Add Signed-off-by line by the committer at the end of the commit
-	log message.  The meaning of a signoff depends on the project,
-	but it typically certifies that committer has
-	the rights to submit this work under the same license and
-	agrees to a Developer Certificate of Origin
-	(see http://developercertificate.org/ for more information).
+	log message.  The meaning of a signoff depends on the project to which
+	you're committing.  For example, it may certify that the committer has
+	the rights to submit the work under the project's license or agrees to
+	some contributor representation, such as a Developer Certificate of
+	Origin.  (See http://developercertificate.org for the one used by the
+	Linux kernel and Git projects.)  Consult the documentation or
+	leadership of the project to which you're contributing to understand
+	how the signoffs are used in that project.
 
 -n::
 --no-verify::
diff --git a/Documentation/merge-options.txt b/Documentation/merge-options.txt
index 80d4831662..29e6030131 100644
--- a/Documentation/merge-options.txt
+++ b/Documentation/merge-options.txt
@@ -80,11 +80,14 @@  actual commits being merged.
 --signoff::
 --no-signoff::
 	Add Signed-off-by line by the committer at the end of the commit
-	log message.  The meaning of a signoff depends on the project,
-	but it typically certifies that committer has
-	the rights to submit this work under the same license and
-	agrees to a Developer Certificate of Origin
-	(see http://developercertificate.org/ for more information).
+	log message.  The meaning of a signoff depends on the project to which
+	you're committing.  For example, it may certify that the committer has
+	the rights to submit the work under the project's license or agrees to
+	some contributor representation, such as a Developer Certificate of
+	Origin.  (See http://developercertificate.org for the one used by the
+	Linux kernel and Git projects.)  Consult the documentation or
+	leadership of the project to which you're contributing to understand
+	how the signoffs are used in that project.
 +
 With --no-signoff do not add a Signed-off-by line.