Re: Does diff generate diff or patch files?

[Eli Zaretskii]

> Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2006 20:59:47 -0500
> From: Bob Rossi <address@hidden>
> Cc: address@hidden, address@hidden
> 
> That's interesting. I'm realizing now that most GNU mailing lists
> related to accepting fixes to source code are called something along the
> line of foo-patches. 
> 
> I don't know if this carries any relevance, but it seems like the
> convention is to accept `patches'. This slightly confuses me. I'll have to 
> try to determine when it's best to call the output of diff a `diff' and 
> when it's called a `patch'.

There should be no confusion.  These mailing lists are for discussing
patches to the corresponding packages.  The most popular form of
submitting patches is in the form of "diff -c" or "diff -u" output.
But theoretically, nothing prevents someone to describe a patch in
some other form.  In fact, people who are legally unable to contribute
code to the GNU project (e.g., because their employer won't sign a
disclaimer) frequently use this alternative: they describe what should
be changed in English, and then someone who _can_ contribute writes
the actual code.