Re: [PATCH/v2] git-basis, a script to manage bases for git-bundle

From: Adam Brewster <adambrewster@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 3, 2008, 23:38 UTC
Message-ID: <c376da900807031638l219229bcy983ed994b37512c9@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <20080703195915.GA18532@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Show 27 quoted lines

>
> Yes, certainly it is more flexible to have them split. I find Adam's
> argument the most compelling, though. Think about moving commits as a
> multi-step protocol:
>
>  1. Local -> Remote: Here are some new commits, basis..current
>  2. Remote -> Local: OK, I am now at current.
>  3. Local: update basis to current
>
> git-push has the luxury of asking for "basis" each time, so we know it
> is correct. But with bundles, we can't do that. And failing to update
> "basis" means we will send some extra commits next time. But updating
> "basis" when we shouldn't means that the next bundle will be broken.
>
> So I think even if people _do_ want to update "basis" when they create
> the bundle (because it is more convenient, and they are willing to
> accept the possibility of losing sync), it is trivial to create that
> workflow on top of the separate components. But I can see why somebody
> might prefer the separate components, and it is hard to create them if
> the feature is lumped into "git-bundle" (meaning in such a way that you
> cannot perform the steps separately; obviously git-bundle --basis would
> be equivalent).
>
> But I am not a bundle user, so that is just my outsider perspective.
>
> -Peff
>

How does everybody feel about the following:

- Leave git-basis as a small perl script.

- Add a -b/--basis option in git-bundle that calls git-basis.  Any
objects mentioned in the output would be excluded from the bundle.
Multiple --basis options will call git-basis once with several
arguments to generate the intersection of specified bases.

- (maybe) Add an option "--update-bases" to automatically call
git-basis --update after the bundle is created successfully.

- Change the syntax a bit so git-basis --show does what git-basis
alone does now (because the user will no longer need to interact with
that command).

There's still plenty of potential for improvements, like a --gc mode to clean up basis files, a --rewind option to undo an incorrect --update, or improvements in the way it calculates intersections, but I think that with these changes the system is as simple as possible while maximizing flexibility, utility, and usability.

Adam