Re: [PATCH] clone: forbid --bare --separate-git-dir <dir>

From: Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com>
Date: Jan 6, 2013, 10:19 UTC
Message-ID: <20130106101948.GD10956@elie.Belkin>
In-Reply-To: <1357465670-32766-1-git-send-email-pclouds@gmail.com>

Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy wrote:

Show 5 quoted lines

> --separate-git-dir was added to clone with the repository away from
> standard position <worktree>/.git. It does not make sense to use it
> without creating working directory.
>
> Signed-off-by: Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy <pclouds@gmail.com>

The patch correctly implements the above. The description leaves out detail. I'd say something like

	The --separate-git-dir option was introduced to make it simple
	to put the git directory somewhere outside the worktree, for
	example when cloning a repository for use as a submodule.

	It was not intended for use when creating a bare repository.
	In that case there is no worktree and it is more natural to
	directly clone the repository and create a .git file as
	separate steps:

		git clone --bare /path/to/repo.git bar.git
		printf 'gitdir: bar.git\n' >foo.git

	Unfortunately we forgot to forbid the --bare
	--separate-git-dir combination.  In practice, we know no one
	could be using --bare with --separate-git-dir because it is
	broken in the following way: <explanation here>.  So it is
	safe to make good on our mistake and forbid the combination,
	making the command easier to explain.

I don't know what would go in the <explanation here> blank above, though. Is it possible that some people are relying on this option combination?