[jacobsenscott]

You never need to write "fix", or "prevent" if you write a good message. Nobody says "fixed the car by changing the flat tire" or "Go prevent engine wear by getting an oil change today. You say "Change the flat tire", or "Change the oil".

You can do the same when you write commit messages. "Wrap user and account update in a transaction" - "Delete temp files after use".

[flexagoon]

I disagree. I think the commit description should be "stop the engine wear", not "change the oil". I much prefer commit messages describing why you did the changes, because the explanation of what you did is already there - the code diff itself.

[SebastianKra]

Whatever describes the change better. Sometimes the issue is easier to describe "fix: car steers in slalom". Where the solution would have been subtle interaction between 3 different components that only occurs in 3rd gear.