Re: [PATCH] docs: set canonical base URL for HTML output

[Jonathan Corbet]

"Rito Rhymes" <rito@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> The documentation site appears agnostic toward search engine
> indexing because it neither opts out of indexed search for
> compliant crawlers nor explicitly adds directives aimed at
> optimizing for it. By being on the open web and not opting out,
> it by default participates in the indexed web as a valid and standard
> distribution surface for documentation. In that context, if
> the site is part of the indexed web whether or not it actively
> courts it, then using a low-cost standard signal like a canonical
> URL is simply part of managing that reality responsibly.

This sounds like perhaps an argument for lore.kernel.org to set this
variable for its build; I think a reasonable case could be made for
that.  I think that the case for everybody else's build is rather
weaker. 

>
>> ...and how does it help all of the people who do their
>> own docs builds?
>
> You accepted the favicon fix earlier but you could argue something
> similar about it:
>
> "After someone downloads the Linux repo and runs the documentation
> site locally, how does having the little logo visible in the browser
> help them? Without it, will they not know they are viewing the Linux
> documentation site?"

Even a little penguin when viewing a locally generated file seems better
than nothing.  It has little to do with the web itself, and absolutely
nothing to do with one specific web site.

Thanks,

jon