Re: [PATCH v2 1/2] remote: advise about force-pushing as an alternative to reconciliation

>
> Alex Henrie <alexhenrie24@gmail.com> writes:
>
> > Also, don't imply that `git pull` is only for merging.
> >
> > Signed-off-by: Alex Henrie <alexhenrie24@gmail.com>
> > ---
> >  remote.c | 4 +++-
> >  1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)
> >
> > diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c
> > index a81f2e2f17..009034ecde 100644
> > --- a/remote.c
> > +++ b/remote.c
> > @@ -2323,7 +2323,9 @@ int format_tracking_info(struct branch *branch, struct strbuf *sb,
> >                       base, ours, theirs);
> >               if (advice_enabled(ADVICE_STATUS_HINTS))
> >                       strbuf_addstr(sb,
> > -                             _("  (use \"git pull\" to merge the remote branch into yours)\n"));
> > +                             _("  (use \"git pull\" to reconcile your local branch with the remote branch,\n"
> > +                               "  or \"git push --force-with-lease\" to overwrite the remote branch with\n"
> > +                               "  your local branch)\n"));
> >       }
> >       free(base);
> >       return 1;
>
> Use of --force-with-lease without which commit you assume to be at
> the tip of their branch is just as risky as blind use of --force.
>
> As I said in a separate message, I do not think "reconcile" and
> "force" cannot both be sensible choices at the same time.  If the
> user wants not to lose the work by themselves and by others,
> reconciling would be the only sensible choice and forcing cannot be
> a sane substitute for that (if the user knows what is at the tip of
> central repository is wrong and wants to get rid of it, forcing
> would be a very sensible choice, but then reconciling would not be a
> subsitute for that in such a case---"merge --ours" does not count as
> "reconciling").
>
> So, I'd suggest to make it a bit more clear that they are not
> alternatives in the message, and discourage forcing in the first
> place by using not "overwrite" but a bit stronger word, like discard
> or destroy.  e.g.
>
>     To reconcile your local changes with the work at the remote, you
>     can use 'git pull' and then 'git push'.  To discard the work at
>     the remote and replace it with what you did (alone), you can use
>     'git push --force'.
>
> or something, perhaps.