Re: [PATCH] git help: promote 'git help -av'

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Sep 24, 2018, 20:58 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqq4leesjdc.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <20180924181927.GB25341@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

> I agree that "help -av" is likely to be more friendly. I kind of wonder
> if it should just be the default for "-a". Do we have any obligation not
> to change the format of that output?

I know that at least older versions of git-completion.bash (I think it was up to 2.17.x series, but do not quote me on that) have parsed "git help -a" output to obtain the list of commands. So such a change would impact those minority users who keep stale completion script in their $HOME/.bashrc without ever update it, thinking it is good enough.

I personally find "help -av" a bit too loud to my taste than plain "-a", and more importantly, I look at "help -a" primarily to check the last section "avaialble from elsewhere on your $PATH" to find things like "clang-format", which I do not think is available anywhere in "help -av", so I do not think "-av" can be promoted as an upward-compatible replacement in its current form.

I probably am not a part of the target audience, though.