Re: [RFC] Rebasing merges: a jorney to the ultimate solution(RoadClear)

> 
> > > Thinking about it I've got an idea that what we actually need is
> > > --no-flatten flag that, when used alone, will just tell "git rebase" to
> > > stop flattening history, and which will be implicitly imposed by
> > > --recreate-merges (and --preserve-merges).
> > >
> > > Then the only thing the --recreate-merges will tune is to put 'merge'
> > > directives into the todo list for merge commits, exactly according to
> > > what its name suggests, while the default behavior will be to put 'pick'
> > > with suitable syntax into the todo. And arguments to the
> > > --recreate-merge will specify additional options for the 'merge'
> > > directive, obviously.
> >
> > This seem to basically boil down to what I mentioned previously[2] 
> > through use of new `--rebase-merges` alongside `--recreate-merges`, just 
> > that you named it `--no-flatten` here, but the point is the same - and 
> > not something Johannes liked, "polluting" rebase option space further.
> 
> Not quite so. The problem with --XXX-merges flags is that they do two
> things at once: they say _what_ to do and _how_ to do it. Clean UI
> designs usually have these things separate, and that's what I propose.
> 
> The --[no-]flatten says _what_ (not) to do, and --recreate-merges says
> _how_ exactly it will be performed. In this model --no-flatten could
> have been called, say --preserve-shape, but not --rebase-merges.
> 
> To minimize pollution, the _how_ part could rather be made option value:
> 
> --no-flatten[=<strategy>]
> 
> where <strategy> is 'rebase', 'remerge', etc.
> 
> In this case we will need separate option to specify strategy options,
> if required, that will lead us to something similar to the set of merge
> strategies options.
> 
> > I would agree with him, and settling onto `--rebase-merges` _instead_ of 
> > `--recreate-merges` seems as a more appropriate name, indeed, now that 
> > default behavior is actually merge commit rebasing and not recreating 
> > (recreating still being possible through user editing the todo list).
> 
> I hope he'd be pleased to be able to say --no-flatten=remerge and get
> back his current mode of operation, that he obviously has a good use
> for.