Re: Terminology question: "tracking" branches

From: Björn Steinbrink <b.steinbrink@gmx.de>
Date: Oct 27, 2008, 16:28 UTC
Message-ID: <20081027162840.GK3612@atjola.homenet>
In-Reply-To: <490030AB.8090207@drmicha.warpmail.net>

On 2008.10.23 10:07:07 +0200, Michael J Gruber wrote:

Show 5 quoted lines

> That leaves open:
> 
> - What does "remote branch" mean, if it means anything at all? It could
> be used for a branch in a remote repository, i.e. the other side of
> fetch/push refspec (remote branch:tracking branch).

I prefer to say "the branch on the remote" there, but that's just to avoid confusion with "remote tracking branch".

> - How to name a local branch created with --track off of a (remote)
> tracking branch? Local tracking branch? Downstream/work/modification branch?

You can also have a local branch that "--track"s another local branch, so those names look a bit suboptimal to me, but I don't have any better ideas either :-/ For a second I thought about "pulling branch" but that doesn't really describe it either, I guess...

Show 28 quoted lines

> I think that linguistically, the confusion comes from using the noun as
> well as the adjective "remote". As an adjective: "remote something"
> cleary is something residing remotely. As a noun it's the config added
> by "git remote add".
> 
> Note that the glossary doesn't define remote at all. I'd volunteer
> changing that once the discussion reaches a consensus.
> 
> My suggestion would be:
> 
> remote (noun): A configuration as created by "git remote add" which
> points to a remote repository (using a URL) and sets up refspecs for
> fetching and/or pulling. Note that the URL may point to a local
> filesystem or even ".". See also remote (adjective).
> 
> remote (adjective): Anything residing in another repository. See also
> remote (noun).
> 
> local: Sometimes used to emphasize things residing "locally", i.e. in
> the repository at hand, as opposed to "remotely".
> 
> tracking branch: A branch tracking a (remote) branch on a remote
> repository, i.e. a local branch stored under refs/remotes/ which is a
> "copy" of a branch on a remote repository; typically created by "git
> clone" or "git remote add/update".
> 
> remote tracking branch: Synonymous with tracking branch. [remote is a
> noun, an object for track here]

Those look good, to me at least.

> [adjective to be found] branch: A local branch which is set up to pull
> or rebase automatically from a tracking branch.

"merge or rebase", and instead of "tracking" it should be "another" I think. Again, because you can also --track a local branch.

> Used for local modifications to remote branches. [I'm tempted to use
> local tracking branch here, but that would just add to the confusion.]

Same here, it doesn't apply to "remote branches" only.

> Come to think of it: "Off-track" branch would be the ideal name for a
> local branch created off of a (remote) tracking branch, using --track to
> specify the track where things go off. But I'm not sure everyone would
> like the implied pun...

Haha :-)

thanks, Björn