An update to the core commit message format

WordPress CoreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. uses a standard commit message format to make it easier for people and machines to read and understand the changes that happen. The documentation on commit messages notes that:

We write commit messages for multiple audiences: contemporaries (fellow core developers, pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party developers, anybody following along with core development), future contributors, and computers. Good commit messages serve each of these audiences well. They describe the what and the why of the changeset; the how is described by the diff itself.

To assist in this endeavor, the format for commit messages has been updated to take into account backportbackport A port is when code from one branch (or trunk) is merged into another branch or trunk. Some changes in WordPress point releases are the result of backporting code from trunk to the release branch. and follow up commits. The documentation around commit messages has been updated to now include specific sections for follow up, merges, and reviewed by.

A few additional updates have been made to the commit message documentation:

1. It is now strongly discouraged to use the word props outside of the line where contributors to a commit are recognized as it can lead to false positives in the tools that collect props. When referencing properties, please avoid the short form props in favor of the full word.
2. The props line should only include the word props, wordpress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ usernames and punctuation for the same reason as above. Avoid free-form props. When those are used, please mention them in the message such as “Special thanks to the jQuery team for assisting.”
3. The words backport and backports must not be used in commit messages. Backporting is the task of moving a commit from trunk to a specific numbered branchbranch A directory in Subversion. WordPress uses branches to store the latest development code for each major release (3.9, 4.0, etc.). Branches are then updated with code for any minor releases of that branch. Sometimes, a major version of WordPress and its minor versions are collectively referred to as a "branch", such as "the 4.0 branch". and the format described above is to be used then. This is to avoid confusion when reading commit messages.

Note: This update is strictly for commits to WordPress Core SVNSVN Subversion, the popular version control system (VCS) by the Apache project, used by WordPress to manage changes to its codebase., however others are welcome to use this standard.

Thanks to @desrosj for pre-publication review.

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