Re: [RFC/PATCH] push: introduce implicit push

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Apr 15, 2013, 09:29 UTC
Message-ID: <7vk3o416rq.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <20130415083558.GB2278@serenity.lan>

John Keeping <john@keeping.me.uk> writes:

Show 10 quoted lines

> I may be an atypical user, but my expectation currently is that
> branch.<name>.remote is what is used when I run "git push" with no
> additional arguments.
>
> This is probably because whenever I add additional arguments (currently)
> I have to specify where I am pushing to.
>
> So I think breaking user expectations is a red herring here because the
> current behaviour means that users cannot have any expectation of what
> will happen in this case.

The thing is, people _want_ to reuse the knowledge they have already learned to a situation it does not directly apply to, by finding a consequence, natural extension of that knowledge, applied to a new situation.

 - Your "branch.*.remote only kicks in when I do not say either what
   to push or where to push to, so 'git push -- master' won't be
   affected" could be one valid natural extension to your knowledge
   "the config only kicks in when I do not say either".

 - Peff's "'git push' chooses to push to branch.next.remote when I
   am on 'next', so 'git push -- master' run in the same state
   should also push to that place" is another equally valid natural
   extension to his knowledge that "'git push' chooses to push to
   branch.next.remote when I am on 'next'".

 - Ram's and my "branch.master.remote is about what remote my master
   branch integrates with, so no matter where I am, 'git push' that
   does not say where-to should push out my master to that remote"
   is yet another equally valid natural extension to our knowledge
   that ""branch.master.remote is about what remote my master branch
   integrates with".

I do not think it is a red-herring at all. It is not about "breaking", but "there will be multiple, conflicting and equally plausible expectations" that makes me worry about unnecessary confusion.