[Python-Dev] View tracker patches with ViewVC? (original) (raw)

Alexander Belopolsky alexander.belopolsky at gmail.com
Tue Jul 27 19:48:52 CEST 2010

On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote: ..

A couple of days ago, I got an email that a doc issue I opened was now closed with revxxxxx, patch never posted to the tracker. I followed the link, saw the [text] button, and got the page with the colored, side-by-side display. I thought, "Wow, I wish I could see patches like this while reviewing, before they are committed!". And to do so just as easily, with one click. (As it turns out, the patch needed review because it had a minor error, but that is another issue.)

Multicolored diffs may look impressive the first time you see them, but they are not really that useful at the patch review stage. With a text link I often do curl | patch -p0 with pasted after "copy link". That would not work with a rev-style link. Copying code from side by side view may or may not work depending on your browser. Even with doc patches, for a serious review you need to apply and compile the patch (make html in case of the docs.)

Post-commit rev NNNN link offers much more than a nice diff: it shows comments, allows you to explore the history etc. Colored diffs do help spotting spelling mistakes, but there is not much harm in finding them post-commit.

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