Re: What are branches?

From: Dmitry Potapov <dpotapov@gmail.com>
Date: Apr 20, 2009, 18:47 UTC
Message-ID: <20090420184746.GG25059@dpotapov.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <alpine.DEB.1.00.0904201621290.6771@intel-tinevez-2-302>

On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 04:25:38PM +0200, Johannes Schindelin wrote:

Show 7 quoted lines

> 
> On Mon, 20 Apr 2009, Dmitry Potapov wrote:
> 
> > When you create a new commit, it is always belong to _one_ branch and 
> > never to two or more branches.
> 
> Certainly you forgot about detached HEADs?

I suppose it is a branch without any name given to it, but it is an advanced feature. I don't think many beginners know about it, so it is something that can confuse beginners.

> And about the ability to 
> create new branches which point to the _exact_ same commit as other 
> branches?

In essence, we mark the starting point of the branch. Obviously, it points to a commit that is on other branch or branches. Not every VCS creates a commit when a new branch is created, though overhead of creating of a new branch in other VCSes is usually much larger.

> And about the option to delete the original branch, not 
> removing the commit, or the other branches, at all?

Again, there is nothing unique about it. If I remember correctly, it is so in CVS too. You could remove branch name, but it was still available by ID.

Dmitry