From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Subject: Re: [RFC] git checkout $tree -- $path always rewrites files
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2014 09:14:42 -0800
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References: <20141107081324.GA19845@peff.net>
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Cc: git@vger.kernel.org
To: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
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In-Reply-To: <20141107081324.GA19845@peff.net> (Jeff King's message of "Fri, 7
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Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> Is there a reason that we don't use this diff technique for checkout?

I suspect that the reasons are probably mixture of these:

 (1) the code path may descend from checkout-index and predates the
     in-core diff machinery;

 (2) in the context of checkout-index, it was more desirable to be
     able to say "I want the contents on the filesystem, even if you
     think I already have it there, as you as a new software are
     likely to be wrong and I know better"; or

 (3) it was easier to code that way ;-)

I do not see there is any reason not to do what you suggest.