Re: [PATCH] git-clone: fetch possibly detached HEAD over dumb http

[Alex Riesen <raa.lkml@gmail.com>]

Junio C Hamano, Sun, Jul 01, 2007 04:22:04 +0200:
> Alex Riesen <raa.lkml@gmail.com> writes:
> 
> > The check for .git validity includes checking if HEAD contains
> > something sane, and this check is very simple: the HEAD is read
> > (readlink(2) or plain read(2)) and tested if it contains a
> > reference starting with "refs/", which maybe inconsistent with
> > resolve_gitlink_ref, but probably ok.
> 
> Ah, I was not paying close attention to resolve_gitlink_ref();
> if it does not require HEAD to point at refs/ I would say it is
> a bug.

yes, thats why I think its ok.

> Come to think of it, I would further say that we probably should
> tighten it up a bit: HEAD must be either a valid commit object
> name (i.e. detached)

That (HEAD must point to a _valid_ commit) will make accidentally
corrupted repositories harder to fix. The tool which require a valid
repository (cat-file, update-ref, read-tree) are the same tools which
you need to fix small problems which can happen, like the commit
pointed by HEAD is accidentally pruned from parent repo.