Re: [PATCH 1/2] var doc: default editor and pager are configurable at build time

[Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>]

Hi Rodrigo,

Rodrigo Silva wrote:
 
>> Unfortunately those compile-time settings do not affect the
>> documentation, so the uninitiated user who tries to understand git by
>> reading the git-var(1) manpage can easily be confused when git falls
>> back to 'nano' and 'more' instead of 'vi' and 'less'.  Even if the
>> distributor patches the distributed docs to reflect the new default,
>> the user may read the official documentation from the git-htmldocs
>> repository online and be confused in the same way.
>
> I'm sorry, but I disagree with this approach. There is no "usually":
> upstream sources are *always* 'vi', and Debian packages are *always*
> 'editor'.

I disagree.  If I build the pristine source from Junio with
"./configure --with-shell=my-favorite-shell", I still have built the
pristine source from Junio.

[...]
> Upstream git /could/ say "... and finally, a hardcoded editor chosen
> at compile time, by default 'vi'"

It is not hardcoded.

[...]
> IMHO, only saying that "it can be customized", "it is usually 'vi'",
> without saying it /was/ customized and it /isn't/ vi, but editor, is
> not a good approach.

Ah, perhaps that is the source of misunderstanding.  This is a
two-patch series.  The two patches are meant to go together.  Does
that help?

Sorry for the lack of clarity,
Jonathan