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Re: [PATCH v6] doc: add an explanation of Git's data model

From
Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date
Nov 12, 2025, 19:16 UTC
Message-ID
<xmqqa50rqcy1.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To
<2474339d-67bc-4a68-9f26-fe7edd172ec4@app.fastmail.com>
"Julia Evans" <julia@jvns.ca> writes:
Show 22 quoted lines
>> Maybe its just me, but I find it a quite roundabout thing to say
>> that a ref refers to an object name (or "ID" if you like), simply
>> because name or ID *is* a way to refer to the thing that is assigned
>> that name, so you are making a ref to refer to something ("name")
>> that refers to what it ("ref") originally wanted to refer to
>> ("object").
> ...
> One idea I just had is "a branch is a label for a commit ID", which
> I think avoids the issue with "name" from earlier.
>
>> That is what I find the most strange in the construction "A branch
>> refers to ID" at the conceptual level.  I am much less unhappy with
>> "A branch records an ID", but stopping at that may make readers ask
>> the obvious question "what goal does that design aim to achieve?"
>> (whose answer is of course "to refer to the object that is assigned
>> that ID").
>>
>> "A branch refers to a commit object by recording its object name",
>> "A branch records the ID of a commit it refers to", "A branch
>> records the ID of the commit at the tip of its history".  Any of the
>> phrasing that does not make "ID" the object/target of the verb
>> "refer to" would work to avoid that strange construction.

Sorry, but I am having a hard time to come up with something that I can give to help somebody who rejects "record", saying that it is a new verb, and in the same message introduces "label" as a better alternative, as we haven't seen "label" used in this context, either.

Besides, a label, a name, or an ID are all that are used to refer to something (in this context, "a commit object"), so I find the newly proposed one just as roundabout as "a branch refers to ID" in the same way. The use of *ID* is a low-level implementation detail to make the ref work as a label for, or make the ref refer to, an object, so "is a label for ID" is just as bad as "refers to ID".

If we do not hesitate using a new word and introduce "label", "a branch works as a label for a commit object" may probably work, probably.

Thanks.
Previous: Julia EvansNext: Junio C Hamano
Message 76 of 89 in “doc: add a explanation of Git's data model”
  1. doc: add a explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Oct 3, 2025
  2. Kristoffer HaugsbakkOct 3, 2025
  3. Julia EvansOct 6, 2025
  4. D. Ben KnobleOct 6, 2025
  5. Julia EvansOct 6, 2025
  6. D. Ben KnobleOct 6, 2025
  7. Julia EvansOct 9, 2025
  8. Kristoffer HaugsbakkOct 8, 2025
  9. Junio C HamanoOct 6, 2025
  10. Julia EvansOct 6, 2025
  11. Kristoffer HaugsbakkOct 7, 2025
  12. Junio C HamanoOct 7, 2025
  13. Patrick SteinhardtOct 7, 2025
  14. Junio C HamanoOct 7, 2025
  15. Julia EvansOct 7, 2025
  16. Junio C HamanoOct 7, 2025
  17. D. Ben KnobleOct 7, 2025
  18. Julia EvansOct 7, 2025
  19. Patrick SteinhardtOct 8, 2025
  20. Junio C HamanoOct 8, 2025
  21. Julia EvansOct 8, 2025
  22. doc: add a explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Oct 8, 2025
  23. Patrick SteinhardtOct 10, 2025
  24. Junio C HamanoOct 13, 2025
  25. Patrick SteinhardtOct 14, 2025
  26. Julia EvansOct 14, 2025
  27. Patrick SteinhardtOct 14, 2025
  28. Junio C HamanoOct 14, 2025
  29. doc: add a explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Oct 14, 2025
  30. Patrick SteinhardtOct 15, 2025
  31. Junio C HamanoOct 15, 2025
  32. Julia EvansOct 15, 2025
  33. Junio C HamanoOct 15, 2025
  34. Julia EvansOct 16, 2025
  35. Junio C HamanoOct 15, 2025
  36. Julia EvansOct 16, 2025
  37. Junio C HamanoOct 16, 2025
  38. Julia EvansOct 16, 2025
  39. Junio C HamanoOct 16, 2025
  40. Kristoffer HaugsbakkOct 16, 2025
  41. Kristoffer HaugsbakkOct 20, 2025
  42. Junio C HamanoOct 20, 2025
  43. doc: add an explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Oct 27, 2025
  44. Junio C HamanoOct 27, 2025
  45. Julia EvansOct 28, 2025
  46. Junio C HamanoOct 28, 2025
  47. doc: add an explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Oct 30, 2025
  48. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2025
  49. Patrick SteinhardtNov 3, 2025
  50. Junio C HamanoNov 3, 2025
  51. Julia EvansNov 3, 2025
  52. Junio C HamanoNov 4, 2025
  53. Julia EvansNov 4, 2025
  54. Junio C HamanoNov 4, 2025
  55. Julia EvansNov 4, 2025
  56. Junio C HamanoNov 4, 2025
  57. Julia EvansNov 5, 2025
  58. Ben KnobleNov 5, 2025
  59. Julia EvansNov 5, 2025
  60. Ben KnobleNov 6, 2025
  61. Junio C HamanoOct 31, 2025
  62. Patrick SteinhardtNov 3, 2025
  63. Julia EvansNov 3, 2025
  64. doc: add an explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Nov 7, 2025
  65. Junio C HamanoNov 7, 2025
  66. Junio C HamanoNov 7, 2025
  67. Julia EvansNov 7, 2025
  68. Junio C HamanoNov 7, 2025
  69. Junio C HamanoNov 8, 2025
  70. Ben KnobleNov 9, 2025
  71. Junio C HamanoNov 9, 2025
  72. Julia EvansNov 10, 2025
  73. Junio C HamanoNov 11, 2025
  74. Ben KnobleNov 11, 2025
  75. Julia EvansNov 11, 2025
  76. Junio C HamanoNov 12, 2025
  77. Junio C HamanoNov 12, 2025
  78. Julia EvansNov 13, 2025
  79. Junio C HamanoNov 13, 2025
  80. Julia EvansNov 13, 2025
  81. Chris TorekNov 13, 2025
  82. Junio C HamanoNov 13, 2025
  83. doc: add an explanation of Git's data modelJulia Evans via GitGitGadget, Nov 12, 2025
  84. Junio C HamanoNov 12, 2025
  85. Junio C HamanoNov 23, 2025
  86. Patrick SteinhardtDec 1, 2025
  87. Junio C HamanoDec 2, 2025
  88. Julia EvansOct 9, 2025
  89. Ben KnobleOct 10, 2025

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