[cvsnt] Comments

[Gerhard Fiedler]

Peter Crowther wrote:

>> Is it possible to force end-users to insert comments when they Commit
>> there files?

> - Don't bother, because lazy developers will just enter "AAA" or "Latest
> version" (and some will work out how to write the script that does that
> for them automatically).  You don't just want *comments*, you want
> *meaningful comments* - and they're hard to detect automatically.  User
> education is far more effective at getting meaningful comments into the
> repository.  A cricket bat would seem to be an appropriate user
> education tool... :-). 

Ah, the old cricket bat -- I almost forgot that one :)

On a more serious note, code reviews that include commit comment reviews
and making the developers understand that they have to go back and update
the comments if they don't add them in the first place (which includes
making their projects leads understand that they have to make the
developers go back and update the comments and bug them until they actually
did it) may be helpful, too. 

In short, you have to give it priority in the overall process -- up to
consequences for the job and payment in serious cases, just like with other
forms of sloppy work.

Gerhard