From: Giuseppe Bilotta Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:09:12 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCHv3] git apply: option to ignore whitespace differences Message-ID: In-Reply-To: <20090729174000.6117@nanako3.lavabit.com> On Wed, Jul 29, 2009 at 10:40 AM, Nanako Shiraishi wrote: > Quoting Giuseppe Bilotta > >>> 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