Re: [PATCH] help.c: add a compatibility comment to cmd_version()

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Apr 16, 2013, 22:35 UTC
Message-ID: <7vvc7mhzok.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <3D6BDB8830FC44A38B1AC508488049C0@PhilipOakley>

"Philip Oakley" <philipoakley@iee.org> writes:

Show 10 quoted lines

>> int cmd_version(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
>> {
>> + /*
>> + * The format of this string should be kept stable for compatibility
>> + * with external projects that rely on the output of "git version".
>
> Shouldn't the expected format of our known external project also be
> indicated?
> ...
>>  printf("git version %s\n", git_version_string);

It is fairly clear from the commented code that the only guarantee they will be getting is that it begins with a string "git version ". git_version_string[] has anything of the builder's choice. I am not sure if there anything more to "indicate".

Really, if you run

	$ git version

and you get "Git Source Code Management Version 3.56" from its output, it is likely that the version is very different from what you know, and you should not assume any your assumption would hold.

> Or mention "such as git gui"?

I do not see what it would buy us. It is not like it is OK as long as we upadte Git gui at the same time.