Re: [PATCH] branch: avoid slow strvec Coccinelle matching

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

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

>> Ah, very good eyes.  It is a disease to try appeasing -Wsign-compare
>> without thinking, instead of questioning the value of the warning
>> first, and in this case there is no reason to try forcing the use of
>> size_t, even with the unnecessary casting.
>
> Having said that, another fix might be to standardize the way we
> count the number of things in an array and update 'ref-filter.h' to
> use size_t in 'struct ref_array' as well.
>
> It is not as though 2 billion refs are too few to satisfy our
> needs, and in general, the platform-natural int should be used to
> count things unless there is a compelling reason to deviate from
> that norm.  However, "somehow we ended up counting many things in
> size_t, so it is better to count everything using the same type"
> could serve as "the compelling reason" to make such a change.

Let's not allow too much latitude to ourselves, as that would only
confuse us.

Here is what I recommend that we do.  In the short term, i.e.,
within the context of the topic in question, let's use 'int' to
match the type used to count the members of an array embedded in
'struct ref_array'.

But let's leave a '#leftoverbits' note here in the mailing list
archive to remind us to revisit the idea of consistently using
'size_t' to count things when things are quiet.  This is not the
time to needlessly disrupt the 'hn/branch-delete-merged' topic, I
think.