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Date:   Fri, 23 Aug 2019 03:00:59 +0000
From:   Eric Wong <e@80x24.org>
To:     Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com>
Cc:     Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>, git@vger.kernel.org,
        =?utf-8?B?w4Z2YXIgQXJuZmrDtnLDsA==?= Bjarmason <avarab@gmail.com>,
        Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de>,
        Lars Schneider <larsxschneider@gmail.com>,
        Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: RFC: Proposing git-filter-repo for inclusion in git.git
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Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> wrote:
>   * Remove git-filter-branch from git.git.  Mention in the release
> notes where people can go to get it.[1]
> 
> filter-branch is not merely a slow or difficult-to-use tool, it's one
> that *fosters* mistakes by making it hard to get things right in
> several different ways.  Granted, people exercise extra caution using
> filter-branch because they know they need to, but there are so many
> gotchas that they're likely to accidentally mess something up.  Those
> mess-ups are not always discovered immediately, and by then it's
> nearly cast into stone (rewriting being something you want to do very
> rarely).

Is it possible to turn git-filter-branch into a fast, compatible,
and (maybe) safe wrapper for git-filter-repo?  That would "fix"
filter-branch and (if done carefully) not break existing uses.

It could also spew warnings to recommend safer switches.

Stability is a major reason I use git, the Linux kernel,
and why I distrust+avoid desktop/GUI software.  Removing
"unsafe" features, even with good intentions, inevitably leads
to frustrated users.