Re: [RFD] making separate-remote layout easier to use

[Junio C Hamano <junkio@cox.net>]

Shawn Pearce <spearce@spearce.org> writes:

> Needing to put + in front of a refspec (or needing to fetch it with
> --force) is the user agreeing that something _evil_ is going on with
> the upstream and that they acknowledge this may cause problems for
> them locally.
>
> I would prefer to see the upstream be able to publish a short
> description of each branch, where the repository owner can describe
> the policy of that branch, as well as have a machine readable
> setting on each branch indicating if that branch will be rewound
> from time to time, or never rewound.
>
> git-clone should skip rewinding branches by default, unless the user
> adds an option (e.g. --include-rewinding-branches).  This way new
> users to git.git don't get the `pu` branch unless they really mean
> to get it, at which point they have hopefully also read the upstream's
> description of the `pu` branch and its rewinding policy, and can
> at least start to grasp what is going to happen if they start to
> work with the branch.

I like this approach very much.