Subject: Re: [bug#76594] [PATCH 1/3] doc: Mention that patch files should be generated with quilt.

From: Morgan Smith <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:32:13 -0500

Maxim Cournoyer <[email-masked]> writes:

> Hi Morgan,
>
> Morgan Smith <[email-masked]> writes:
>
>> * doc/guix.texi: Add a reference to the command quilt in the places that
>> mention patch files
>
> I'm not sure quilt is really relevant still, in this git-is-everywhere
> era?  I think it was mostly used on Debian, mostly useful back in the
> day where there was no distributed VCS I'd assume.
>
> I'd drop this commit.

I'm not sure you saw my coverpage for this bug so I'll copy that in
here:

=====
While updating emacs I was perplexed as to how to create the patchfiles
located in 'gnu/packages/patches'.  I saw no mention of how to do so in the
manual so I just added git diffs (which did work but the reviewer was not
pleased).  I have since been informed I should have used quilt.
====

I'll CC the reviewer here (Liliana Marie Prikler) to ask why they felt I
should've used quilt.  I'm now realizing it might have simply been to
minimize the changes to the patch file (which is a valid reason).

I still think we should document some way of creating the patches just
so we have a canonical way of doing it (even if we don't require strict
adherence).

Personally, I think we should use `git format-patch` as that's what
contributors would be used to using.