Re: [PATCH v3 4/4] doc: git-push: clarify "what to push"

> "Julia Evans" <julia@jvns.ca> writes:
>
>>>> +As a safety measure, `git push` may fail if you haven't set an upstream
>>>> +for the current branch, depending on what `push.default` is set to.
>>>> +See the UPSTREAM BRANCHES section below for more on how to set and
>>>> +use upstreams.
>>>
>>> This feels a bit out of place, as the safety measure, as I
>>> understand it, is only relevant in 3. and only when push.default is
>>> set to "simple".  If we are referring the user to the configuration
>>> section, then it may be a better place to say that the "simple"
>>> setting requires you to integrate with the branch with the same name.
>>
>> That makes sense. My goal here is really to communicate that you may need
>> to set an upstream for `git push` to work, since it hasn't been mentioned yet
>> that the upstream branch might be involved in deciding what remote branch
>> to push to, and it comes up pretty often when using the command.
>
> Actually, I think it is a mistake to tell people to use unadorned
> "git push" all the time.  Have them say "git push origin mytopic",
> get them feel sick of doing so all the time, and then tell them they
> do not have to if they set an upstream for the current branch.  IOW,
> "sometimes you need to" is the source of the confusion that comes
> from giving them too much DWIMmery.  You'd by default need to tell
> Git, because you know more about your project than Git does, until
> you tell Git once, after which Git knows what to do.
>
>> Perhaps this instead:
>>
>> "Depending on the value of `push.default`, git push` may fail if the current
>> branch doesn't have a configured upstream branch.
>> See the UPSTREAM BRANCHES section below for more on how to set and
>> use upstreams."
>
> So, rather, something like this
>
>     "git push" needs to know what branch to push to update what
>     branch of which repository.  It is done by giving command line
>     arguments and/or setting configuration variables to the command.
>     See UPSTREAM BRANCHES section for more information.
>
> would be more in line with a preferrable mindset users would have to
> successfully use "git push", I think.