Re: [kernel.org users] [RFD] On deprecating "git-foo" for builtins

From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Aug 28, 2008, 21:23 UTC
Message-ID: <20080828212346.GA27867@coredump.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <4B9831F7-3CB8-49CB-A1DB-111481A271FE@cs.indiana.edu>

On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 01:23:50PM -0700, Perry Wagle wrote:

Show 5 quoted lines

> But, my problem is not git<DASH> vs git<SPACE>, but the slap-dash way  
> upward compatibility was broken and the "water over the dam" slippery  
> slope rationalizations that refuse to consider reverting.  "You" will do 
> it again in the future since you are declaring success here.  And "you" 
> have likely done it in the past 6 months.

I don't think Junio is declaring success. In fact, I think he has sent several messages saying (paraphrasing of course):

  - this was obviously not done in the best manner possible, because of
    the number of people complaining

  - we will try to do better about notification next time such a change
    is made. Please make suggestions about how to do so.

  - since we have already released and already broken everybody, and
    these people are now complaining on the list, there is not much
    point in trying to notify people of _this_ change now

Junio (and others) have tried to be very careful about breaking backwards compatibility, especially for scripting interfaces. We thought sufficient steps were taken this time, but clearly some disagree.

So please stop making specious claims that there are crazy backwards-incompatibility bugs lurking throughout new versions of git. If there are, then please find and name them. If not, then I think the git community would welcome suggestions about how better to notify users about the rare changes like this one.

-Peff