[vtk-developers] Request for a gentler tone in commit message verbiage...

[David Cole]

I understand frustration, and venting. I'm not super offended, just
slightly turned off... And asking you to do future venting outside the
VTK git commit history.

I'm not asking you to re-write the commit history now. What's done is
done there -- but I am still asking two specific questions, that got
lost in my "too many words" of the first email:

(1) what was the problem with double and make_pair -- or was that a
misleading commit message because the problem was always with the use
of NULL ... ?

(2) Will you please rephrase the comment here in a future commit?
https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/commit/e3d0653de443435533ebfb2db3fa6513e3b5c86b#7d40499821cd2f098d779d9b0da192039787a70a_587_594

because it's simply not true. My code snippet proves that MSVC 2013's
make_pair does NOT have a problem with double -- it has a problem with
arguments of poorly defined type. NULL is possibly just "0" under some
circumstances, which has type "int." If you construct a local variable
of the correct type, with value NULL, then make_pair has no problem
deducing the correct type.


Thanks,
David C.



On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 2:12 PM, David Lonie <david.lonie at kitware.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 29, 2015 at 1:50 PM, David Cole <DLRdave at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> The commit message here:
>>
>>
>> https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/commit/7247da0ecf23c2c52e90acc86dda2e2bbf33461a
>>
>> claims there was some sort of problem with make_pair and double. What
>> exactly was the problem? With what exact version of MSVC? (I don't buy
>> that there's a general problem with make_pair and double...)
>>
>> And then the follow on commit message:
>>
>>
>> https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/commit/e3d0653de443435533ebfb2db3fa6513e3b5c86b
>>
>> seems a bit accusatory towards poor old closed-source MSVC.
>>
>>
>> This code compiles just fine for me with Visual Studio 2013:
>>
>>     bool TestMakePair()
>>     {
>>         const double value = 0.0;
>>         vtkTextProperty *prop = NULL;
>>
>>         std::pair<double, vtkTextProperty*> pairOne =
>>             std::make_pair(value, prop);
>>
>>         return true;
>>     }
>
>
> Now try std::make_pair<double, vtkTextProperty*>(value, NULL).
>
>>
>> Of course, make_pair deduces its types from the supplied arguments, so
>> passing "NULL" as the second arg is not exactly well defined across
>> all OSes and compilers. Not sure why you would expect that.
>
>
> Telling it the first argument is explicitly a double and the second is a
> pointer, and then having it complain about the double with one syntax and
> the pointer in the other (both while being explicitly declared in the
> template arguements) is a tad ridiculous, IMO.
>
>>
>> Anyhow.... This email is simply a request to remove the disparaging
>> remarks about "Windows" and MSVC from the comments, and to be kinder
>> and gentler in future commit messages. Writing thoughtful explanatory
>> commit messages is nearly as important as writing the code for a
>> widely used public open source project.
>
>
> Not sure they can be removed. I don't think this warrants rewriting the
> commit history.
>
>>
>> Nobody likes dealing with "the other platforms" that they don't work
>> on daily, but we all love how VTK works awesomely on so many
>> platforms. It's worth the extra effort to get code just right so it
>> compiles cleanly everywhere, and
>
>
> I don't mind, actually, But if something ridiculous happens, I'm going to
> find it ridiculous. Besides, "putting in the extra effort to get code right"
> is exactly what those commits are doing...?
>
>>
>> commentary like this just turns me
>> off.
>
>
> Sorry to turn you off, Dave. I meant no offense, but apologize for any that
> was taken. Writing code that works on every platform but one, and then fails
> in two distinct ways on different version of the primary compiler for that
> platform is surely frustrating, no? If GCC was behaving similarly, I'd have
> similar frustrations.
>
> I'm not trying to play favorites and disparage anyone's favorite platform.
> There are annoyances with every compiler (admittedly, some more than
> others!), and I view my commit messages as harmless venting. I still don't
> see them as expressing anything offensive, just frustration at a couple of
> idiosyncrasies. Less than absolutely professional? Sure. Restrained
> expression of legitimate frustration? I'd say "sure" to that as well.
> Offensive? Well, that's a bit of a stretch IMO. Different strokes.
>
> Regardless, I'll make an effort to adopt a more neutral tone in my commit
> messages.
>
> Have a great day,
> Dave