Re: [PATCHv3] git apply: option to ignore whitespace differences

From: Giuseppe Bilotta <giuseppe.bilotta@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 29, 2009, 09:09 UTC
Message-ID: <cb7bb73a0907290209u11b2055bv9889ccd5c4a92911@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <20090729174000.6117@nanako3.lavabit.com>

On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Nanako Shiraishi<nanako3@lavabit.com> wrote:

Show 18 quoted lines

> Quoting Giuseppe Bilotta <giuseppe.bilotta@gmail.com>
>
>>> Perhaps --ignore-space-change, to be consistent with a "git diff" option,
>>> would be more appropriate. Doing so has an added benefit of leaving the
>>> door open to add --ignore-all-space option to the patch application side
>>> later.
>>
>> On the other hand, --ignore-whitespace matches the option name (and
>> behavior) of the 'patch' command (just like "git diff"'s matches the
>> 'diff' option name and behavior). Principle of least surprise says
>> that someone coming to git from raw diff/patch setups would expect
>> --ignore-whitespace on the patch side.
>
> Not everybody shares your diff/patch background.
>
> I wouldn't be surprised if git were the first system they ever learn for
> majority of users of version control systems in this century, especially
> because now there are many books written on it.

This is something I hadn't considered.

> Isn't it more important for git to be internally consistent across its
> commands for such an audience to satisfy the principle of least surprise?

Would it be ok if I had the option and command line option turn into ignore-space-change and keep ignore-whitespace as a synonym? Or would that be too much?

-- 
Giuseppe "Oblomov" Bilotta