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Re: Why do we still have AUTHORS?

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From:
hv
Date:
February 23, 2022 23:27
Subject:
Re: Why do we still have AUTHORS?
Message ID:
202202232218.21NMI6P18797@crypt.org
Leon Timmermans <fawaka@gmail.com> wrote:
:We've been maintaining an AUTHORS file for more than twenty years, but in
:these days of git I'm kind of wondering why we still do this.
:
:We actually have tests that check if any new addition matches git, why
:don't we just rely on git instead? And remain a HISTORIC-AUTHORS file
:honoring the contributors who predate our transition to git.
:
:Right now it's a recurring source of test failures for new contributors,
:without providing any clear benefit IME. Why would we keep doing this?

Right now, the most obvious benefit it provides is to make very clear
to new contributors that the email address they provide is going to
become very visible, forever.

That's a valuable service; I doubt we'd do as good a job of providing it
without the automation of a test fail. It's quite subtle though - it's
up to the contributor to work out the effect on any assumptions they might
have had about the privacy of that address, and to estimate the volume
of additional spam they might now play host to.

If we can find a way to spell out that impact more clearly while still
keeping it automatic I'd be all for it (but I doubt it would be any
less disruptive than the current test failure).

Hugo

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