Re: [PATCH v2] config: introduce an Operating System-specific `includeIf` condition

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Apr 19, 2023, 16:07 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqq354vama6.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <67a2d12c-6250-c4ee-dd26-fd8ecc71b8bc@gmx.de>

Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> writes:

Show 10 quoted lines

>> > 2. casing (use of `/i`)
>>
>> My preference is to do this case sensitively (in other words, start
>> stupid) and if somebody wants to use "/i", add it later after the
>> dust settles.
>
> I strongly disagree with this. This feature is meant for Git users, who I
> must assume based on my experience would expect the value to be
> case-insensitive. I.e. they would expect both `linux` and `Linux` to
> match. Let's not make this feature harder to use than necessary!

[jc: Read below with 'os' replaced with 'uname-s' or any of your favorite. This message does not take any position on that part of the discussion.]

I am OK with the above position, if we make sure that all other includeIf conditions are compared case insensitively, and if we make sure there is no existing "/i" includeIf conditions. Then those who want to differentiate can later add "/casesensitive" option.

But I do not want to see a system where some of the conditions are compared case insensitively while some other conditions are compared case sensitively. The end-users will then be forced to remember "the condition 'os' can be spelled in any case permutation, but the condition 'xyzzy' needs to be spelled in the right case". It would not be obvious to end users when they need to use "/i" variant in such a system.

Unlike 'gitdir' whose value is arbitrarily chosen by the users and the projects (where folks use both FooBar and foobar and want them to mean different things), the vocabulary of "os" is limited and I agree with you that it is very likely for any user to expect that any case permutations of "linux" would mean the same thing. But spelling "windows" and have it match even when the official name of the system may be "Windows" should be the choice made by the end user, and the "/i" suffix in "os/i" is a way for them to express it.

You might be able to talk me into adding only "os/i" added without adding "os", though. I do not see much point in doing so, other than that we can say "we do not take any position on what case permutation is the right and official way to spell the name of each system".

Thanks.