Re: [PATCH 0/3] batch blob diff generation

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

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> So ideally we'd have an input format that encapsulates that extra
> context data and provides some mechanism for quoting. And it turns out
> we do: the --raw diff format.

Funny.  The raw diff format indeed was designed as an interchange
format from various "compare two sets of things" front-ends (like
diff-files, diff-cache, and diff-tree) that emits the raw format, to
be read by "diff-helper" (initially called "diff-tree-helper") that
takes the raw format and

 - matches removed and added paths with similar contents to detect
   renames and copies

 - computes the output in various formats including "patch".

So I guess we came a full circle, finally ;-).  Looking in the archive
for messages exchanged between junkio@ and torvalds@ mentioning diff
before 2005-05-30 finds some interesting gems.

https://lore.kernel.org/git/7v1x8zsamn.fsf_-_@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net/