[dna-dev] @author tags in our codebase

[Stefano Maestri]

Randall Hauch wrote on 17/11/08 22:17:
> I've recently read a suggestions for open source communities that the
> author names are removed from the content.  In the case of DNA's
> codebase, that would mean removing the @author tags. 
May I ask where?
>
>  tags:
>
>    1. When there are no @author tags, then there is a far smaller
>       notion of ownership by the author(s).  On one side of this, the
>       author(s) may not appreciate changes to "their" code, and on the
>       other side, non-authors may feel intimidated about working on
>       code for which they are not an author.  IMO, we want to
>       _discourage_ ownership and _encourage_ everyone to work in any
>       area of the code they want.
>
+1...but is really @author tag intimating someone, or giving ownership
to some other? Quiet frankly not for me.
Anyway I agree on the _discurage_ownership and _encourage_everyone to
work in any area, so if it can help, remove @author tag.

>    1. @author tags can be inaccurate.  SVN has the true history of who
>       contributed exactly what code.
>
+1
>
> The only benefit I can think of is that the @author tag does help to
> give some notion of who is the "expert" of the class, in case they
> need to be consulted.  However, I don't believe this is really much of
> a reason, since it's far better to consult the SVN history and see who
> actually modified the different parts of the code.  In fact, the
> annotated views in Fisheye even show on many of the lines the name of
> the last person to change it.  For example,
> see http://fisheye.jboss.org/browse/DNA/trunk/dna-common/src/main/java/org/jboss/dna/common/i18n/I18n.java?r=120
>
abosolutely better to use fisheye...if fine people of JBoss.org would
also mind to upgrade it to a more recent version it would be even
better. Also Jira integration may help a lot.

I would just add that if we decide to remove the tag we have to change
also the license information at the beginnig of any file which say:
/* 2
<http://fisheye.jboss.org/browse/DNA/trunk/dna-graph/src/main/java/org/jboss/dna/graph/GraphI18n.java?r=598#l2>
 * JBoss, Home of Professional Open Source. 3
<http://fisheye.jboss.org/browse/DNA/trunk/dna-graph/src/main/java/org/jboss/dna/graph/GraphI18n.java?r=598#l3>
 * Copyright 2008, Red Hat Middleware LLC, and individual contributors 4
<http://fisheye.jboss.org/browse/DNA/trunk/dna-graph/src/main/java/org/jboss/dna/graph/GraphI18n.java?r=598#l4>
 * as indicated by the @author tags. See the copyright.txt file in the 5
<http://fisheye.jboss.org/browse/DNA/trunk/dna-graph/src/main/java/org/jboss/dna/graph/GraphI18n.java?r=598#l5>
 * distribution for a full listing of individual contributors.


bye
S.