Re: [PATCH 8/8] Support "**" wildcard in .gitignore and .gitattributes

>> + - A trailing "/**" matches everything inside. For example,
>> +   "abc/**" is equivalent to "`/abc/`".
>
> It seems odd that you add a leading slash in this example.  I assume
> that is because of the rule that a pattern containing a slash is
> considered anchored at the current directory. But I find it confusing
> because the addition of the leading slash is not part of the rule you
> are trying to illustrate here, and is therefore a distraction.  I
> suggest that you write either
>
> - A trailing "/**" matches everything inside. For example,
>   "/abc/**" is equivalent to "`/abc/`".
>
> or
>
> - A trailing "/**" matches everything inside. For example,
>   "abc/**" is equivalent to "`abc/`" (which is also equivalent
>   to "`/abc/`").

>> + - A slash followed by two consecutive asterisks then a slash
>> +   matches zero or more directories. For example, "`a/**/b`"
>> +   matches "`a/b`", "`a/x/b`", "`a/x/y/b`" and so on.
>> +
>> + - Consecutive asterisks otherwise are treated like normal
>> +   asterisk wildcards.
>> +
>
> I don't like the last rule.  (1) This construct is superfluous; why
> wouldn't the user just use a single asterisk?  (2) Allowing this
> construct means that it could appear in .gitignore files, creating
> unnecessary confusion: extrapolating from the other meanings of "**"
> users would expect that it would somehow match slashes.  (3) It is
> conceivable (though admittedly unlikely) that we might want to assign a
> distinct meaning to this construct in the future, and accepting it now
> as a different way to spell "*" would prevent such a change.
>
> Perhaps this rule was intended for backwards compatibility?