Path: csiph.com!fu-berlin.de!usenet.stanford.edu!not-for-mail
From: "Marty E. Plummer" <hanetzer@startmail.com>
Newsgroups: gnu.bash.bug
Subject: Re: Bash patches format
Date: Tue, 29 May 2018 19:25:42 -0500
Lines: 49
Approved: bug-bash@gnu.org
Message-ID: <mailman.751.1527639998.1292.bug-bash@gnu.org>
References: <20180519134601.u3dfrjzip3do7daj@proprietary-killer> <2b5ce5fe-3250-ba63-4ad7-0326ac5a5707@case.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: lists.gnu.org
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
X-Trace: usenet.stanford.edu 1527639999 2568 208.118.235.17 (30 May 2018 00:26:39 GMT)
X-Complaints-To: action@cs.stanford.edu
Cc: bug-bash@gnu.org, bash-announce@gnu.org
To: Chet Ramey <chet.ramey@case.edu>
Envelope-to: bug-bash@gnu.org
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=startmail.com; s=2017-11; t=1527639986; bh=PvxU7aCQPJin0JZ8qdNw1P9KdXGUH46FAwe5IgNswPA=; h=Date:From:To:Cc:Subject:References:In-Reply-To:From; b=Xr79xjAdkCY1c/7nLMZWD7UggbDF4TcXMxg+jXp7tkOa+TsuKNiXAfQvFJo1/99aU 3LlutzekwTW1xGBRwTmsEUoodcnUeHVg1gwX/8txC9VrHfRE1CA2y79QeUrMQLFohr jm5Psf+49G+tgnc3OVQWRfbJllL5WWHSag90ekFJgbfbOSW6EboCHnDAaEH4Kq47va ibsr2+nUt96xx8D0or+sKTxk5FaBu8VYy40NqzpybCeuXj87GmRV32fW8TxRSsHAId 0j5PBaqgl+5yr9qeTqMFxc9J7qe/4lAvOedrTZGlLHK/re9jDISNZYZt2bO4ObMaIh xO14UmbLyv0GA==
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <2b5ce5fe-3250-ba63-4ad7-0326ac5a5707@case.edu>
X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.2.x-3.x [generic] [fuzzy]
X-Received-From: 145.131.90.155
X-BeenThere: bug-bash@gnu.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.21
Precedence: list
List-Id: Bug reports for the GNU Bourne Again SHell <bug-bash.gnu.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/options/bug-bash>, <mailto:bug-bash-request@gnu.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-bash/>
List-Post: <mailto:bug-bash@gnu.org>
List-Help: <mailto:bug-bash-request@gnu.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/bug-bash>, <mailto:bug-bash-request@gnu.org?subject=subscribe>
Xref: csiph.com gnu.bash.bug:14167

On Tue, May 29, 2018 at 11:05:45AM -0400, Chet Ramey wrote:
> On 5/19/18 9:46 AM, Marty E. Plummer wrote:
> > Greetings,
> > 
> > In doing some research into ways to better improve the gentoo ebuild qa,
> > I ran across the fact that the official bash patches are provided as
> > -p0, context diffs.
> > 
> > I was hoping I could convince you to convert to -p1, unified diffs, such
> > as are produced by diff -u or git format-patch, for the following
> > reasons.
> > 
> > 1. <opinion> unified diffs are easier to size up at a glance as compared
> > to an equivalent context diff; the two following snippets cover the same
> > data/changes, but the unified diff is easier to read at a glance:
> 
> Interesting. I find the opposite to be true.
> 
Fair, but as I stated at the start, pure opinion.
> > 2. unified diffs are, generally speaking, smaller than an equivalent
> > context diff, as in hunks where lines are added and removed or changed
> > (instead of just adding or removing lines), the hunk is copied twice in
> > a context diff. Depending on the general composition of a patch, an
> > equivalent unified diff is about 1/3 smaller than the same context diff.
> 
> Since we're talking a few thousand characters here, this isn't much of
> a difference or savings.
> 
Also fair and true, but I thought it was a valid point to make so I did.
> > 3. A lot of downstream consumers are already taking these patches and
> > converting them to -p1 unified diffs in their source repos already, or,
> > barring that, have to make explicit exceptions to the 'norm' for their
> > packaging/buildscripts.
> 
> They have to do this anyway, since most of the distributions use their
> own source base that is nearly, but not quite, identical to bash as
> shipped.
> 
Well, the patches are identical, excepting the format difference.
> If people are willing to do the conversion between patch formats for their
> own purposes, more power to them. I don't see any compelling reason to
> change the format I use.
> 
Could I at least convince you to start doing -p1, if not unified?
> -- 
> ``The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.'' - Chaucer
> 		 ``Ars longa, vita brevis'' - Hippocrates
> Chet Ramey, UTech, CWRU    chet@case.edu    http://tiswww.cwru.edu/~chet/