Re: [PATCH 3/3] prevent HEAD reflog to be interpreted as current branch reflog

From: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
Date: Feb 5, 2007, 12:43 UTC
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.63.0702051338261.22628@wbgn013.biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de>
In-Reply-To: <20070205112101.GC14234@spearce.org>

Hi,

On Mon, 5 Feb 2007, Shawn O. Pearce wrote:

Show 21 quoted lines

> Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> wrote:
> > On Fri, 2 Feb 2007, Lars Hjemli wrote:
> > 
> > > I think the following makes perfect sense:
> > > 
> > >  "HEAD@{yesterday}" = current branch, yesterday
> > >  "@{yesterday}"     = detached head (no branch), yesterday
> > 
> > Okay, so you say "HEAD@{yesterday}" does _not_ give you what HEAD pointed 
> > to yesterday, but "@{yesterday}" does?
> > 
> > Instead "HEAD@{yesterday}" looks up what HEAD points to _now_, and _then_ 
> > goes back to yesterday, finding out what that particular branch pointed to 
> > then, _regardless_ what HEAD was then?
> > 
> > Oh my, that's convoluted.
> 
> Depends on your point of view:
> 
>   HEAD: 1) noun.  Synonym for the branch I am currently on.
>   HEAD: 2) noun.  Synonym for the commit I am currently on.

HEAD: 3) noun. The tip of the current branch.
HEAD: 4) noun. The part of the body I am right now banging on the wall.

Show 7 quoted lines

> Now that we can detach our HEAD anytime we want, I'm in the latter camp, 
> and your (Dscho's) meaning for HEAD@{yesterday} and @{yesterday} makes 
> perfect sense.
> 
> But I suspect most Git users are still in the former camp, as they 
> haven't been exposed to the process (or need, or desire) to detach their 
> HEAD...

But has _nothing_ to do with a detachable HEAD.

Once people know what HEAD is, they do

	git show HEAD

to see what the tip of their current branch looks like. Now, read out aloud "HEAD@{12:00.pm.yesterday}". Yes, that's right. It says "HEAD at noon yesterday".

I mean, it's really easy to see what HEAD is good for. If your head automatically resolved HEAD to "the current branch, right now, even if I am talking about another time", I find it convoluted.

That's all.

Ciao, Dscho