Re: [PATCH 3/3] Allow whole-tree operations to be started from a subdirectory

From: Andy Parkins <andyparkins@gmail.com>
Date: Jan 13, 2007, 16:42 UTC
Message-ID: <200701131642.16824.andyparkins@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <7vac0orml9.fsf_-_@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

On Friday 2007, January 12 20:56, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> This may not actually be what we want to do.  These commands are
> inherently whole-tree operations, and an inexperienced user may
> mistakenly expect a "git pull" from a subdirectory would merge
> only the subdirectory the command started from.

You're right it might be confusing at first, however, I still think it's the right thing to do.

Here's my reasoning: for a while, with subversion as a user you feel all warm inside that commands only work on the current subdirectory, so "svn update" would only update the current subdirectory to the latest revision. Of course as git users we all see the horrendous potential errors that behaviour can induce. It creates subdirectories with mixed versions from the repository - absolute disaster pends.

Git is of course far more sensible, if you checkout in a subdirectory the whole working directory changes, meaning everything is always nicely in sync and really does represent a snapshot at any time.

Now; once you (as a new user) accept that git checkout should (and does) checkout the whole working directory regardless of where you are, then by extension every other working-directory-wide command should do the same.

Phew.  I'm too noisy.  What a verbose way of saying
   fromAOL("me too");

Andy

-- 
Dr Andrew Parkins, M Eng (Hons), AMIEE
andyparkins@gmail.com