From: Jeff King <peff@peff.net>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:58:46 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH 5/5] docs/checkout: clarify what "non-branch" means
Message-ID: <20090415175846.GF23332@coredump.intra.peff.net>
In-Reply-To: <7vmyakh5wc.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org>

On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 09:31:31AM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> > I hope this helps a little bit with Mark's confusion. But while writing
> > it, I really think it would be a simpler rule to say "if it's in
> > refs/heads/, then it's a branch" (which is similar to what Mark
> > suggested earlier).
> >
> > So "git checkout refs/heads/master" would be identical to "git checkout
> > master". That would require a code change, though.
> 
> Sorry, but I do not get the logic behind such a change.

It is entirely about simplifying the mental model of "what is a branch"
for the user, and making it easier to explain in the documentation.

I think otherwise your analysis was right: it doesn't really buy much in
practical usage, and it slightly hurts people with crazy branch names
like "refs/heads/refs/heads/foo" (but I consider that unlikely enough
not to worry about).

-Peff