Subject: Re: bug#35163: 25.1; `narrow-to-region' docstring no mention of args

From: Eli Zaretskii <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2019 09:54:27 +0300

> From: "Basil L. Contovounesios" <[email-masked]>
> Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2019 23:19:38 +0100
> Cc: [email-masked]
> 
> >> could save everyone a lot of time by
> >> sending patches.)
> >
> > Should I interpret this as "one shouldn't
> > bother the maintainers with details like this"?
> 
> Not at all.  Eli (amongst several other fastidious contributors) keeps
> himself very busy co-maintaining Emacs, yet he still manages to set a
> stellar example of how documentation should be maintained.
> 
> I'm sure what Glenn and Eli meant is closer to "a patch speaks a
> thousand words," i.e. it's easier and more efficient to convey one's
> intentions by showing, rather than describing, them, especially over the
> lossy communication medium that is email.

That is true, but a clear and concrete description of the problem,
quoting the relevant parts of the current documentation, is a great
help, even if it is accompanied by a patch.  Maintaining documentation
frequently requires judgment calls, so a clear idea of the motivation
for the bug report/patch will make the report handling much more
efficient and free from misunderstandings.