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Re: [PATCH 1/2] user-manual: add global config section

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Oct 14, 2009, 19:10 UTC
Message-ID
<7vzl7tdc6k.fsf@alter.siamese.dyndns.org>
In-Reply-To
<4AD5F7BE.9000704@drmicha.warpmail.net>
Michael J Gruber <git@drmicha.warpmail.net> writes:
> Well, Junio certainly is authoritative, and I don't want to risk any bad

Even though I usually call them "configuration variables", I do not consider myself authoritative in this particular issue, as I did not care about the wording myself that much. It is not like we have two (or three) distinct concepts that the user need to be aware of among configuration variable/option(/setting). In other words, I never thought consistently sticking to one variant matters that much for this particular case, and I've used the word very casually and interchangeably, but except in one specific context---see below.

I am open to be corrected by Documentation/glossary.txt and other sources.
Show 8 quoted lines
> 2d2465c (Add documentation for git-config-set, 2005-11-17)
>
> is the origin of that doc for git-config. I'm not just claiming it
> myself. That commit introduced "option", uses it in all but one place,
> and this never changed since then! [The ratio went up from 6:1 to 40:5]
> I have no objection to changing this established notion, but established
> it is. I haven't tracked down the use of option vs. variable in other
> places than git-config.txt and its predecessors.

I am Ok with calling them "configuration options", and I am also Ok with calling them just "options" when it is clear from the context that we are talking about configuration file.

The _only_ thing I deliberately do is to avoid calling them configuration "options" when discussing "command line options override what you have in the configuration file", but even there I would use "settings" and "variables" interchangeably. E.g. both of these are fine with me:

    The settings in your .git/config file will give the default when there
    is no command line option given.
vs
    The variables in your .git/config file will give the default when
    there is no command line option given.

but personally I think it would make it less easier to follow if you changed these "settings/variables" to "options".

Previous: Michael J GruberNext: J. Bruce Fields
Message 11 of 13 in “user-manual: reorganize the configuration steps”
  1. 0/2 user-manual: reorganize the configuration stepsFelipe Contreras, Oct 11, 2009
  2. 1/2 user-manual: add global config sectionFelipe Contreras, Oct 11, 2009
  3. 2/2 user-manual: simplify the user configurationFelipe Contreras, Oct 11, 2009
  4. Jonathan NiederOct 11, 2009
  5. Junio C HamanoOct 12, 2009
  6. Michael J GruberOct 12, 2009
  7. Felipe ContrerasOct 12, 2009
  8. Michael J GruberOct 13, 2009
  9. Felipe ContrerasOct 14, 2009
  10. Michael J GruberOct 14, 2009
  11. Junio C HamanoOct 14, 2009
  12. J. Bruce FieldsOct 14, 2009
  13. Felipe ContrerasOct 14, 2009

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