From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: linux@horizon.com Subject: Re: [PATCH] New git-seek command with documentation and test. Date: 23 Feb 2006 19:29:15 -0500 Message-ID: <20060224002915.17331.qmail@science.horizon.com> Cc: git@vger.kernel.org X-From: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Fri Feb 24 01:29:36 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: gcvg-git@gmane.org Received: from vger.kernel.org ([209.132.176.167]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1FCQpv-0005lK-1L for gcvg-git@gmane.org; Fri, 24 Feb 2006 01:29:31 +0100 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932246AbWBXA30 (ORCPT ); Thu, 23 Feb 2006 19:29:26 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932256AbWBXA30 (ORCPT ); Thu, 23 Feb 2006 19:29:26 -0500 Received: from science.horizon.com ([192.35.100.1]:29261 "HELO science.horizon.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S932246AbWBXA3Z (ORCPT ); Thu, 23 Feb 2006 19:29:25 -0500 Received: (qmail 17332 invoked by uid 1000); 23 Feb 2006 19:29:15 -0500 To: cworth@cworth.org Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Archived-At: The annoying thing about temporary branch names like "bisect" and "seek" is that: a) They clutter up the nae space available to the repository user. Users have to know that those are reserved names. b) If a repository is cloned while they're in use, they might get into a "remotes" file, with even more confusing results. This is somewhat heretical, but how about making a truly unnamed branch by having .git/HEAD *not* be a symlink, but rather hold a commit ID directly? It's already well established that files in the .git directory directly are strictly local to this working directory, so it seems a much better home for such temporary state. Admittedly, this requires more invasive edits (particularly adding a third legitimate case to validate_symref()), but it seems to make more sense. And be ultimately simpler than workarounds for the above problems. Just loosen the rules from ".git/HEAD must be a symlink" to ".git/HEAD must be a symlink before you can check in". Yes, I know it's radical. At least I'm not questioning the power and efficacy of indulgences. :-)