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
