From: Junio C Hamano Date: Mon, 24 Dec 2007 09:13:25 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH] Document git rev-list --first-parent Message-ID: <7vprwwsbey.fsf@gitster.siamese.dyndns.org> In-Reply-To: <476F6F95.1030506@qumranet.com> Avi Kivity writes: > Junio C Hamano wrote: >> Avi Kivity writes: >> >>> Document git rev-list's --first-parent option. Documentation taken from >>> git log. >>> ... >>> +--first-parent:: >>> + Follow only the first parent commit upon seeing a merge >>> + commit. This option gives a better overview of the >>> + evolution of a particular branch. >>> + >>> >> >> I am afraid that this description is not sufficient. The >> history given by --first-parent is useful only in a very limited >> use case, and the user needs to be aware of it. > > I don't know which use case you are referring to... Please read the commit log message you snarfed the description again. First-parent is useful only if you are the primary integrator and do not fast-forward from other people. Only in that case, you will see the overview of "the primary integration branch". Otherwise you will observe the history viewed by whoever happened to make a merge, which would switch every time you cross the fast-forward boundary. Making it sound as if it always will give a better overview is misleading.