Should we just start a Contributors page on the wiki and be done with it? Deleting a name, check that it's on the wiki page. Committing a patch, check that the author is on the wiki page.
-Nathan On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 1:12 AM, Xiao-Feng Li <xiaofeng...@gmail.com> wrote: > On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:03 AM, sebb <seb...@gmail.com> wrote: >> On 12/10/2009, boot...@earthlink.net <boot...@earthlink.net> wrote: >>> >>> >>> > [Original Message] >>> > From: Tim Ellison <t.p.elli...@gmail.com> >>> > To: <dev@harmony.apache.org> >>> > Date: 10/9/2009 2:54:32 AM >>> > Subject: Re: [general] Remove @author tags from code (HARMONY-6348) >>> >>> > >>> > On 09/Oct/2009 00:25, Mark Hindess wrote: >>> > > In message <529434575.1255030111261.javamail.j...@brutus>, >>> > > "Jesse Wilson (JIRA)" writes: >>> > >> Remove @author tags from code >>> > >> ----------------------------- >>> > >> >>> > >> Key: HARMONY-6348 >>> > >> URL: >>> https://issues.apache.org/jira/browse/HARMONY-6348 >>> > >> Project: Harmony >>> > >> Issue Type: Task >>> > >> Reporter: Jesse Wilson >>> > >> Priority: Minor >>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> From a 2004 email >>> > >> >>> http://mail-archives.apache.org/mod_mbox/jakarta-jmeter-dev/200402.mbox/<403 >>> 9f65e.7020...@atg.com> >>> > >> "author tags are officially discouraged. these create difficulties >>> in >>> > >> establishing the proper ownership and the protection of our >>> > >> committers. there are other social issues dealing with >>> collaborative >>> > >> development, but the Board is concerned about the legal >>> ramifications >>> > >> around the use of author tags >>> > >> >>> > >> I'd like to remove author tags from Harmony code to bring it closer >>> > >> into alignment with Android, which has no author tags. >>> >>> >>> Notice that this was in 2004 which was before the >>> current rendition of file headers, NOTICES file, etc., >>> was put in place in November 2005. I think the legal >>> issues have long since been resolved. >>> >>> >>> > > >>> > > I'm not directly concerned about alignment with Android but I do think >>> that >>> > > Apache policy encourages @author tag removal so I am in favour of doing >>> this. >>> > > >>> > >> Unless there are objections, I'll prepare a patch... >>> > > >>> > > What do you think? If there are no objections then next week I shall >>> > > script their removal. >>> > >>> > As I've said before, I'm +0 for removing the author tags. >>> > >>> > I know that concerns have been raised in the past about people getting >>> > the proper recognition for their contributions. May I suggest that if >>> > you remove all the author tags that you collate the names and post a >>> > list here for posterity. That should associate people's names with >>> > Harmony archives well enough, or we can combine it with a list of the >>> > ICLAs we have received and create a contributors file in SVN. >>> > >>> > Regards, >>> > Tim >>> >>> >>> This is a perennial question. We have been through this question before >>> on this list and/or its Incubator predecessor. The issue was finally >>> dropped >>> and no action taken. Yes, in principle, it could be nice to remove @author >>> tags. No, one of the reasons people contribute to organizations like ASF >>> is to make their mark in the universe, namely, "I was here." For most >>> people, >>> this is not a question of egotism but merely a desire to have _one_ very >>> _small_ >>> note of recognition for the work they did--by name. Nothing else. I think >>> that >>> the contributors who have their name in the source code are looking for >>> this >>> and likely looking ONLY for this small recognition. I would suggest that >>> if >>> they put it there, leave it there. Those who do not put it there can be >>> satisfied >>> with the absence of their names from the code. Perhaps this might be a >>> useful middle ground. >> >> The problem with @author tags in code is that they can very quickly >> get out of date. >> After a few years of edits, how much of the original code is left? >> Have the tags been kept up to date? Does it really make sense to have >> recognition in the source code? > > Last time when this issue was discussed, my opinion is that: > 1) Any new contributor of a file has the right to remove the old > @author tag in that file; > 2) If the new contributor removes the old @author tag, he/she should > not add his/her own name in it; > 3) If a file has no new contributor, the original author tag can be > kept as is, unless he/she agrees to remove the name. > 4) Agreed with Tim to keep a name list of contributors if their names > are removed; > 5) I support to remove all the occurrences of my name in all the > files, no matter if there is a new contributor of not. > > Thanks, > xiaofeng > >> Seems to me it's better to have a "contributors" page, for example as in: >> >> http://commons.apache.org/email/team-list.html >> >> Much easier to manage - and better visibility too. >> >>> Dan Lydick >>> >>> >>> >>> >> > > > > -- > http://people.apache.org/~xli >
