Re: Git commit won't add an untracked file given on the command line

[Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>]

Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> writes:

> On Wed, 19 Nov 2008, Mark Burton wrote:
>
>> Having said that, I still like the concept of being able to add named 
>> files without touching the index.
>
> That's just impossible.  You cannot create a tree object, let alone a 
> commit object, without touching the index (AKA staging area).

I do not think Mark really _means_ "not in the index".

The wish is more like "I want to let git know that I am interested in this
path, but I'm not ready to say what exact content I want for that path in
the next commit, not just yet".

I do not think that is an unreasonable wish.  On the other hand, it is
unreasonable for anybody to insist that we satisfy the wish without
touching the index.  The index is the most natural place to do that.

We have a half (probably a quarter) of what we need for that implemented
already, by the way.