Re: [PATCH] git-latexdiff: new command in contrib, to use latexdiff and Git

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Feb 17, 2012, 13:31 UTC
Message-ID: <7vmx8hvb69.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <vpqty2px4l5.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>

Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> writes:

> I agree that the next step may be to allow users of <whatever SCM
> outside Git>, but I don't think the way to do that would be to make the
> script generic. The script is a quick hack, and all the "clever" parts
> of it are calls to Git.

You are not suggesting me to take and carry any future request that wants to add any quick hack that is heavily specific to Git and not portable to other SCMs to the contrib/ area only because they depend on Git, are you?

That would bloat the contrib/ area with stuff that do not belong there and we need to draw a line somewhere. The criteria I use to draw it is by answering "is this an application that merely happens to use git, or is it a way to help people who use Git?" question.

Look at what we have in the contrib/ area. I think what is common among them is that their primary benefit is to enrich user's Git experience. Bash completion for example is dependent on bash and it may be useless for Csh users, but if you are a bash user, your Git experience will be infinitely better with it regardless of what kind of payload you are tracking in your Git repository. And in my mind, "regardless of what you are tracking" is the key part that defines "the enhancement is about user's Git experience".