From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:33:39 GMT
Subject: Re: name-rev does not show the shortest path
Message-ID: <7v6434eq9o.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0708241615040.7313@reaper.quantumfyre.co.uk>

Julian Phillips <julian@quantumfyre.co.uk> writes:

> From a quick look at the code, that's not surprising, it runs "git
> name-rev --name-only --tags" under the bonnet - so not helpful at all,
> sorry.
>
> So now I wonder how useful --contains really is ... I would have
> expected to always get the "closest" tag.  ~1009^2~1^3~5 seems closer
> than ~1686^2~1^3~5 to me ... ho hum.

The usefulness of --contains is only to provide a nicer looking
shortcut to older name-rev program, as more people are already
familiar with "git describe".  It does not improve name-rev.

I _think_ name-rev goes for shorter-to-type tags and does not
have any other heuristics.  Dscho?