More git status --porcelain lossage

From: Eric Raymond <esr@snark.thyrsus.com>
Date: Apr 9, 2010, 19:06 UTC
Message-ID: <20100409190601.47B37475FEF@snark.thyrsus.com>

After I posted my last, I noticed another crash landing...

A format properly designed for script parseability should use even use whitespace as a field separator.

Why?

Because if you do that, front ends *will* do field analysis using a naive split-on-whitespace operation. And then...someday...someone will try to run one of these of these on a volume from a system where filenames contain embedded whitespace. Like Mac OS X or Windows.

Hilarity will ensue.

Conclusion: As it is presently, git status --porcelain format is
irretrievably botched.  You need a field separator that's musch less
likely to land in a filename, like '|' - and to warn in the documentation
that careful front ends must check for and ignore '\|'.

-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>

The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered as
the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral
check against usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally,
even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist
and triumph over them."
        -- Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story of the John Marshall Court