From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@xxxxxxxxx>
The description on sign-off and DCO was written back in the days
where there was only a choice between "use sign-off and it means the
contributor agrees to the Linux-kernel style DCO" and "not using
sign-off at all will make your patch unusable". These days, we are
trying to clarify that the exact meaning of a sign-off varies
project to project.
Let's be more explicit when presenting what _our_ rules are. It is
of secondary importance that it originally came from the kernel
project, so move the description as a historical note at the end,
while cautioning that what a sign-off means to us may be different from
what it means to other projects contributors may have been used to.
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@xxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Bradley M. Kuhn <bkuhn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
---
Documentation/SubmittingPatches | 25 ++++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 14 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)
diff --git a/Documentation/SubmittingPatches b/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
index d520eb23b1..b798aef844 100644
--- a/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
+++ b/Documentation/SubmittingPatches
@@ -300,15 +300,12 @@ patch.
[[sign-off]]
=== Certify your work by adding your `Signed-off-by:` line
-To improve tracking of who did what, we've borrowed the
-"sign-off" procedure from the Linux kernel project on patches
-that are being emailed around. Although core Git is a lot
-smaller project it is a good discipline to follow it.
+To improve tracking of who did what, we ask you to certify that you
+wrote the patch or have the right to pass it on under the same license
+as ours, by "signing off" your patch. Without sign-off, we cannot
+accept your patches.
-The sign-off is a simple line at the end of the explanation for
-the patch, which certifies that you wrote it or otherwise have
-the right to pass it on as an open-source patch. The rules are
-pretty simple: if you can certify the below D-C-O:
+If you can certify the below D-C-O:
[[dco]]
.Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1
@@ -338,14 +335,15 @@ d. I understand and agree that this project and the contribution
this project or the open source license(s) involved.
____
-then you just add a line saying
+you add a "Signed-off-by" trailer to your commit, that looks like
+this:
....
Signed-off-by: Random J Developer <random@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
....
-This line can be automatically added by Git if you run the git-commit
-command with the -s option.
+This line can be added by Git if you run the git-commit command with
+the -s option.
Notice that you can place your own `Signed-off-by:` line when
forwarding somebody else's patch with the above rules for
@@ -353,6 +351,11 @@ D-C-O. Indeed you are encouraged to do so. Do not forget to
place an in-body "From: " line at the beginning to properly attribute
the change to its true author (see (2) above).
+This procedure originally came from the Linux kernel project, so our
+rule is quite similar to theirs, but what exactly it means to sign-off
+your patch differs from project to project, so it may be different
+from that of the project you are accustomed to.
+
[[real-name]]
Also notice that a real name is used in the `Signed-off-by:` line. Please
don't hide your real name.
--
Bradley M. Kuhn - he/him
Policy Fellow & Hacker-in-Residence at Software Freedom Conservancy
========================================================================
Become a Conservancy Supporter today: https://sfconservancy.org/supporter
