Re: [PATCH 0/13] Modernize user-manual

From: Philip Oakley <philipoakley@iee.org>
Date: Aug 24, 2013, 19:31 UTC
Message-ID: <1E7ACF7D33524F728C058D4F850613D1@PhilipOakley>
In-Reply-To: <282216171.1090748.1377328932833.JavaMail.ngmail@webmail08.arcor-online.net>

From: "Thomas Ackermann" <th.acker@arcor.de>

Show 11 quoted lines

> Hi,
>
> command output has changed for some commands in the last years,
> so reflect this also in the user-manual. While doing so, fix some
> minor
> spelling, formatting and wording issues.
>
> Further, some references and recommendations which nowadays might
> only confuse and not help new Git users where removed. Also some
> explanations where rephrased to IMHO make them easier to understand
> for new users.

Since 1.8.3 we have had the ability to list the main Git Guides using the 'git help -g' option, unfortunately the User Manual is not in a man format, so it isn't listed within the help option.

Is it worth adjusting the User Manual formatting such that it could be displayed as a man page? (which would also require a file name change from user-manual.txt to git-user-manual.txt). Or create a new man page helper `git-user-manual.txt` that would provide a follow-me link to the current user manual?

Back at $gmane/216146 Junio noted that the git(1) man page does contain onward links to the user manual, but I believe that users should be able to get to it directly from a git command such as 'git help user-manual'. Easy access makes it more likely to be read, in the same way that man pages are checked.

Philip

Show 29 quoted lines

>
> The last patch removes a lengthy paragraph which states that "git
> prune"
> (and "git fsck") should only be used in a quiescent repository.  The
> man-page for "git prune" tells nothing about this. So either the
> removal should be OK or we have to duplicate the warning paragraph
> in the man-page of "git prune"?
>
> [PATCH 01/13] Call it "Git User Manual" and remove reference to very
> old Git version
> [PATCH 02/13] Use current "detached HEAD" message
> [PATCH 03/13] Use current output for "git repack"
> [PATCH 04/13] Use "git merge" instead of "git pull ."
> [PATCH 05/13] Fix some typos
> [PATCH 06/13] Simplify "How to make a commit"
> [PATCH 07/13] Improve description in "How to merge"
> [PATCH 08/13] Improve section "Manipulating branches"
> [PATCH 09/13] Improve section "Merge multiple trees"
> [PATCH 10/13] Remove unnecessary historical note from "Object storage
> format"
> [PATCH 11/13] Remove obscure reference from "Examples"
> [PATCH 12/13] Remove irrelevant reference from "Tying it all together"
> [PATCH 13/13] "git prune" is safe now
>
> Signed-off-by: Thomas Ackermann <th.acker@arcor.de>
>
>
> ---
> Thomas