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Date:   Tue, 6 Jun 2023 17:43:50 -0400
From:   Ben Boeckel <me@benboeckel.net>
To:     Dan Carpenter <dan.carpenter@linaro.org>
Cc:     Jarkko Sakkinen <jarkko@kernel.org>,
        Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com>,
        Franziska Naepelt <franziska.naepelt@googlemail.com>,
        keyrings@vger.kernel.org, dhowells@redhat.com, dwmw2@infradead.org,
        linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
        Franziska Naepelt <franziska.naepelt@gmail.com>,
        kernel test robot <lkp@intel.com>,
        Linux SPDX Licenses <linux-spdx@vger.kernel.org>,
        Linux Kernel Janitors <kernel-janitors@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH v2] certs/extract-cert: Fix checkpatch issues
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On Tue, Jun 06, 2023 at 18:25:24 +0300, Dan Carpenter wrote:
> I'm looking through the git log to see if it's true the imperative tense
> commit message are shorter and better and neither one of those things is
> obvious to me.
> 
> This patch had an imperative subject already so it was already kind of
> imperative.  Does every sentence have to be imperative or can you just
> add a "Fix it." to the end?

I don't know about the length argument, but it feels like it reads
better when skimming summaries with the imperative mood. The way I think
about it is that the subject should complete the phrase:

    When applied, this patch will…

The body then gives more context and description as necessary. I don't
really worry so much about the mood/tense/whatever in the body except
that I try to use the present tense for anything the patch is doing and
past for any historical context. I understand that kernel maintainers
may care a lot more about it though.

Basically, a patch, on its own, does nothing (just like a recipe). It is
only when it is applied that anything actually happens. I read it as
"`git apply`, please $summary".

--Ben