Documenting the (Ancient) History of Your Project
summary
Argument: record decision subject line and body in every commit and wrap bodies to 72 columns so later readers can digest why changes happen. Use the git pickaxe (not just git blame) to find the commit that explains the why and include metadata and diffs. Add a project-level decisions_context file for major events (language migration, team ownership changes, business deadlines) and reference those records from READMEs and contributing pages so context stays discoverable.
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chapters (12)
- 0:00Introduction
- 5:46Examples
- 7:28What is Archaeology
- 9:45Archaeology and Technical Documentation
- 12:04Context and Documentation
- 13:13Commit Messages
- 15:17Documentation Structure
- 19:47Timing and Nuance
- 22:35Summary
- 24:47Resources
- 25:16Career Switch
- 27:20Questions
