Re: [PATCH] Docs: git checkout --orphan: `root commit' and `branch head'

[Michael Witten <mfwitten@gmail.com>]

On Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:25:10 -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> Michael Witten <mfwitten@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> It seems like a more logical approach would be instead for "git
>> commit" to take a "--root" option that would create a new root commit
>> based on the current index and then point the current branch head to
>> the new root commit. Thus:
>>
>>   $ git checkout -b new_branch old_branch
>>   $ # Manipulate or not
>>   $ git commit --root
>>
>> That's how people think.
>
> This may indeed be an improvement. I suspect that we'd need to think about
> it a bit more, but it feels right (perhaps introduce this new option,
> deprecate --orphan from the checkout, and then eventually remove it
> sometime in 1.8.0 timeframe).
>
>>>>  The index and the working tree are adjusted as if you had previously run
>>>>  "git checkout <start_point>".  This allows you to start a new history
>>>> -that records a set of paths similar to <start_point> by easily running
>>>> +that records a set of paths similar to <start_point> by just running
>>>>  "git commit -a" to make the root commit.
>>>
>>> "similar" is an understatement here, maybe "as in"?
>
> I do not think "as in" is an improvement. It completely ignores the
> "Manipulate or not" part in the above, and "similar" was very much an
> attempt to say "you do not have to commit it right away, but start from
> the state and commit a deviation of it".

Actually, that kind of change might make a lot of sense with respect to
[PATCH v2]; here's the kind of text that [PATCH v2.1] will yield:

  ...
  
  Furthermore, the working tree and the index are adjusted as if
  you ran "git checkout <start_point>"; thus, by just running
  "git commit", you can create a root commit with a tree that is
  exactly the same as the tree of <start_point>.
  
  Naturally, before creating the commit, you may manipulate the
  index in any way you want. For example, if you want to create
  a root commit with a tree that is totally different from the
  tree of <start_point>, then just clear the working tree and
  index first: From the top level of the working tree, run
  "git rm -rf .", and then prepare your new working tree
  and index as desired.