From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk Date: Tue, 02 Dec 2025 15:28:23 GMT Subject: Re: [PATCH] branch: advice using git-help(1) instead of man(1) Message-ID: In-Reply-To: On Fri, Nov 28, 2025, at 17:40, Junio C Hamano wrote: > kristofferhaugsbakk@fastmail.com writes: > >> From: Kristoffer Haugsbakk >> >> 8fbd903e (branch: advise about ref syntax rules, 2024-03-05) added >> an advice about checking git-check-ref-format(1) for the ref syntax >> rules. The advice uses man(1). It’s better to use Git’s own git-help(1) >> instead of an external command. > > Substatiate "better" a bit better? If there were a universal help > facility, we wouldn't have had to invent our own, and that would > have been even better, but since we do not live in such an ideal > world, we cater to people who live in a man-less land by having our > own. > > In other words, "An external command" is not the issue. Some people > living in a man-less land is. > > ... for the ref syntax rules and refers to the man(1) command, > which may not be available on some platforms. Refer to 'git > help' instead. I thought that’s what I did. This is output from git(1), not from a Debian/Ubuntu/Arch Linux distribution. But people who only use Mac/Linux/(BSDs?) might not necessarily consider this point. So I’ll make it clearer.