Re: [PATCH] Add --info-path and --man-path options to git.

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: May 2, 2011, 03:47 UTC
Message-ID: <7vzkn5pxv5.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To: <20110502002535.GE11550@elie>

Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> writes:

Show 15 quoted lines

> I am still not very happy about it.  The man browser is in a much
> better position to help: the default MANPATH (at least under Debian;
> see manpath(5)[1]) is generated by mapping $PATH entries on the fly, and
> it seems like only an oversight that it deals with directories under
> /usr but not /home.  And it does not thrill me that we would be
> training people that
>
> 	git help git
>
> will cover for the installer's mistakes, while the more conventional
>
> 	man git
>
> mechanism (which is also used for other programs installed to $HOME)
> will not.

Well, is there anything I can do to help your unhappiness about that?

Where is your unhappiness coming from?  Is this your argument?

	'git help' allows distros' oversight with its -m and -i options;
	it discourages distros to get their act together.

I personally do not think punishing users of distros by not helping would be an effective way to encourage distros to help their users, so even though I kind of agree with that statement, I wouldn't conclude that with "therefore, git shouldn't try to be helpful with 'help [-m|-i]'".