[darcs-users] Suggestion: remind user of DARCS_EMAIL

[quick at sparq.org]

Quoting Max Battcher <me at worldmaker.net>:

> Dan Pascu wrote:
> >> I'm willing to bet that my suggestion better mirrors the workflow of
> >> the average user: Oh, I need an email to attach to patches when I
> >> record? Ok. Oh, I can set it so that darcs doesn't ask me again for
> >> this user account? Great.
> > 
> > Again, I exposed in my email the dangers of having the global identity if 
> > you use multiple identities in different projects. My proposal still lets 
> > you set a global identity, but prevents you from forgetting about it and 
> > inadvertently using it in a new project that needs another one.
> 
> My point is that you over-estimate "the dangers".

To me, the level of danger here is 9 or more on a scale of 1-10.

The reason is that as soon as I contribute a patch to an open source project 
using my work identity, the lid just popped off Pandora's box.  My personal 
contribution just became a corporate contribution.

It exposes the open source project to the legalities and corporate position on 
open source (e.g. injecting code over which it could subsequently assert patent 
or copyright rights), and it exposes the company to open source claims (e.g. 
the "viral" aspect of the GPL), and it could jeapordize my job if it causes the 
company grief.

I have even had to deal with some levels of this personally: I had to stop 
contributing to one open source project entirely because my company and the 
project leaders could not agree on the "licensing" of my contributions.

I don't wish to start discussion wars on licenses and copyright/patent evils 
here, just to point out that we live in a world where these things exist and 
must be accomodated.  And where lawyers, journalists, and conspiracy theorists 
can turn best intentions and accidents into erupting volcanoes of torment.

There are also personal privacy considerations.

The way darcs currently works, I have a large degree of safety, because I'm 
asked for each repo.  You have a small degree of annoyance because you're asked 
for each repo (which you already have the means to address).  Reversing this is 
wrong, IMHO.

-KQ


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