For what its worth, when I started using CVS on plan9 I trained myself to add a -m 'text' after every cvs ci command.
I also added a -e false (where false is non-existant) to my $home/lib/cvsrc so I can still omit the -m and commit stuff with no log message... [pauses while the mutters in the back row abate] if there is nothing useful to say. -Steve