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RubyConf 2018 - Documentation Tradeoffs and Why Good Commits Matter by Greggory Rothmeier We've all thought "what is this thing supposed to do?" or "why was this done that way" moment when looking through codebases and unless there's documentation or you can find the author, the answer is often hard to find. There are many options to document code from comments to internal wikis, so I'll discuss a heuristic for evaluating the options based on the accessibility (how far away is the answer?) and accuracy (how likely is it that what I'm reading is out of date?) to build a case that the git commit message is likely where you should spend your energy documenting. I'll share my workflow and
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In the talk titled "Documentation Tradeoffs and Why Good Commits Matter" at RubyConf 2018, Greggory Rothmeier discusses the importance of git commit messages as a form of documentation in software development. He illustrates how effective commit messages can bridge the gap in the documentation process, particularly in complex codebases. Key points discussed in the video include: - **The Role of Documentation**: Rothmeier acknowledges the common challenges faced in understanding legacy code and the significance of comprehensive documentation. He emphasizes that a solid understanding of prior decisions enhances future development work. - **Metrics for Evaluation**: He introduces two critical metrics for evaluating documentation: - **Accessibility**: Ensures information is easy to find. Rothmeier notes that while wikis can be good for onboarding, they often become outdated and difficult to navigate. - **Accuracy**: Refers to whether the documentation is current and reflects the actual state of the codebase. He points out that comments and issue trackers, while accessible, can also suffer from accuracy issues. - **The Importance of Git Commit Messages**: Rothmeier argues that git is a powerful tool for documentation, as commit messages directly link changes to the modified code. He provides an example of using the git blame feature to uncover historical context behind code changes. - **Creating Useful Commit Messages**: He discusses best practices for writing commit messages, highlighting the necessity of a descriptive title and contextual information that could help future developers understand the intentions behind the changes. - **Managing Commit History**: Rothmeier explains how tools like rebasing can maintain clean project histories by allowing developers to refine commits, merging multiple updates into a single commit while preserving contextual messages. - **Promoting Good Practices**: Rothmeier encourages teams to prioritize clear and informative commit messages, which can significantly enhance project clarity and facilitate better collaboration. In conclusion, effective commit messages serve as critical documentation tools that improve understanding and collaboration in development environments. By mastering the art of commit messaging alongside utilizing git features, developers can create a clearer historical narrative within their projects, greatly benefiting future work on the codebase.
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