Re: GSOC proposal

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

Jens Lehmann <Jens.Lehmann@web.de> writes:

>> == Preventing false "pointers" ==
>> It's far too easy to push a gitrepo pointing to a submodule version that
>> is not existing on the server. Prevent this by checking for available
>> submodule versions before acceptingt the push.
>
> Yes, requiring to force such a push is an issue raised quite often (I
> think addressing this issue would be a good starting point for people
> who want to get involved in enhancing the submodule experience).

You need to be careful, though.

That check can only be sanely done at a hosting site that hosts _both_ the
superproject and the submodule repositories.  It might make more sense to
have this check on the side that pushes, which by definition should have
both superprojet and the submodule.  Fail, or prompt to confirm, a push
from the superproject when it is detected that the submodule commits bound
to the commits in the superproject have not been pushed out.

> (And, as every year, it's a good idea for a prospective student to get
> involved in the git community before his application is accepted ...
> sending some patches is a good way to do that, maybe regarding one of
> the first two issues raised here? ;-)

While I agree that it is a good idea, I think the advice is about a few
weeks too late for this year already.