Re: [PATCH] grep: --full-tree

From: A Large Angry SCM <gitzilla@gmail.com>
Date: Nov 26, 2009, 00:16 UTC
Message-ID: <4B0DC8F7.1000509@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <7vd436p339.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>

Junio C Hamano wrote:

>  - git does not accept paths (it lets you specify patterns that match,
>    e.g. t/ to name ptahs under t/ directory).

Here is where it get interesting!

Our users, new and old alike, are wanting consistency. Consistency amongst the git commands. Consistency with their platform of choice. Consistency with what they are familiar with, Consistency with their expectations.

Declaring that git commands (all?!) do not take paths but patterns does not help the situation; however technically correct it may be.

>  - "/pathspec" does follow the widespread convention that a string that
>    begin with a "/" refer to a path rooted at the root _in the context_;
>    the definition of root may or may not match the filesystem root.

But the users are almost always dealing with things (objects) that started as files, act like files and may be files again. Why should they not expect filesystem semantics.