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Code tells you what it does. The commit message tells you what you meant it to do. When fixing problems in complex systems this can be vital.

• marginalia_nu 3y ago
  To be fair, function names also tells you what the code is intended to do. Git based workflows were not the missing technology that finally unlocked the development of complex systems. We wrote complex code before we had git annotate, even before version control systems were widely adopted.
  • seanhunter 3y ago
    It was considered good practise to write meaningful commit comments from the very first version control systems, long before git was invented. Source: I have had commits rejected on code review for insufficiently descriptive commit messages in RCS, SCCS, Visual SourceSafe and CVS and probably others before git was first invented.
    • marginalia_nu 3y ago
      In your solo projects (which is the context for this discussion), who is doing these code reviews? What is a sane practice varies immensely with the scale and scope of the project. Many things that are nearly mandatory for large scale development are pointless obstacles in small scale development.