Earlier quoted context omitted.
The commit message still logs in the usual way, but it carries the whole set of information with it, in a way that a centralised ticket system doesn't. When a developer is looking at logs for solving some problem, they can easily review the rationale for changes. I'd much prefer the log explaining everything, rather than having to look to a ticket that may no longer exist.
> in a way that a centralised ticket system doesn't Why doesn't it? Are closed issues not searchable? It seems to me you doubt the ticket retention, but instead of fixing that, use commits to store issues instead. How do you provide comments or updates on an issue "relevant to the commit" without arbitrary commits?
Everywhere I have ever worked has changed ticket systems at one point, and even when they are transferred, the transfer is "lossy".
Heck, just moving from one JIRA version to another can be "lossy".
> How do you provide comments or updates on an issue "relevant to the commit" without arbitrary commits?
In the ticket system. I was not advocating that a ticket system is pointless, because they are very useful.
But a decent commit message about why a change is necessary, especially when it may not be straight forward, can save you plenty of development time further down the line.