Re: bug with git describe --dirty --broken

[Paul Millar <paul.millar@desy.de>]

Hi Junio,

Thanks for your quick reply.

> 	if (broken) {
> 		run 'git diff-index' in a subprocess
> 		use the result from 'diff-index' unless the command
> 		aborted
> 	} else if (dirty) {
> 		refresh the index
> 		run the equivalent of 'diff-index' in-core
> 		use the result; if the in-core diff-index aborts,
> 		you are dead already.
> 	}

Great.

This matches my intuition from investigating this problem: the --broken 
flag triggers a different code-path.  However, it's good to have this 
confirmed.

> I _think_ the "broken" codepath should be taught to also run "git
> update-index --refresh" before it runs "git diff-index" (both in
> their own subprocesses, or run in the same subprocess sequencially,
> as if "git update-index --refresh && git diff-index" were run), and
> your problem may disappear.

For what it's worth, I agree.

Also, just to mention it, fixing this problem isn't a priority (at 
least, not for me).  Simply removing the --broken flag resolves the 
problem and I can live without this functionality.

Cheers,
Paul.