Re: [RFC] Disabling status hints in COMMIT_EDITMSG

From: Matthieu Moy <matthieu.moy@grenoble-inp.fr>
Date: Sep 11, 2013, 17:40 UTC
Message-ID: <vpqfvtb5k9y.fsf@anie.imag.fr>
In-Reply-To: <xmqqob7ztgpb.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

Show 20 quoted lines

> Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@grenoble-inp.fr> writes:
>
>> Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:
>>
>>> But at the same time, I feel that these redundant lines, especially
>>> the latter one, would give the users a stronger cue than just saying
>>> that "bar is Untracked"; "do X to include" reminds that bar will not
>>> be included if nothing is done.
>>
>> The one which draw my attention was "(use "git commit" to conclude
>> merge)" which is particularly counter-productive when you are already
>> doing a "git commit".
>
> Oh, no question about that.  Nobody would object to the removal of
> that one; it is clearly nonsense.
>
> I was commented on the value of keeping "hints" like this:
>
>       # Untracked files:
>       #   (use "git add <file>..." to include in what will be committed)

Yes, I understood your argument.

I have no strong opinion on whether they should be removed either, but I went for the removal essentially because it keeps the code simple.

If we want to keep the advices, and if we want them to be really sound, then for example the advice for "Changes to be committed:" should be changed when running "git commit --amend" (we currently hint "git reset" even for files which are not in the index in this case). Same for --only/--include. So, giving accurate hints in all cases seems non-trivial.

I think the value of these messages is smaller than the potential confusion and/or the code complexity to select and possibly modify the hints.

-- 
Matthieu Moy
http://www-verimag.imag.fr/~moy/