Re: [PATCH v3 01/16] doc: pull: explain what is a fast-forward

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Dec 7, 2020, 23:08 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqblf58b99.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <CABPp-BEkKMuZHWJ8mrFUFm3okDDsMHeZZNxtGzgq-RLLddMxdw@mail.gmail.com>

Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> writes:

Show 16 quoted lines

>> > ... I find the phrase "in a fast-forward way" a bit awkward.
>> > Perhaps use the 'fast-forward' as a verb, i.e.
>> >
>> >         Then `git pull` notices that what is being merged is a
>> >         descendant of our current branch, and fast-forwards our
>> >         'master' branch to the commit.
>> >
>> > or something like that?  It should be in line with the spirit in
>> > which glossary defines fast-forward, I would think.
>> ...
> If you read the release notes and even various messages printed by
> git, "fast-forwards", "fast-forwarded", "fast-forwarding", and "to
> fast-forward" all appear multiple times.  And yes, "fast-forward" also
> appears multiple times as a noun in addition to the various uses as a
> verb.  So, I'd say the glossary just isn't comprehensive because in
> this case we have a word that serves as both a noun and a verb.

Ah, sorry, I didn't mean noun-vs-verb when I mentioned the glossary.

I thought that the idea that the word can be used as a verb, after discussing advise() messages that tells the users that they can "merge, rebase or fast-forward", was given and not something anybody needs to be explained about.

The other half of what I suggested was to explain what situation is fast-forwardable, i.e. "notices ... is a descendant of", and I made sure that the explanation was in line with the grossary. Without it explained in-place in the text, readers who need to be told what a fast-forward is needs to go to and come back from the glossary while reading this page, which was what I tried to improve while we are trying to find a better phrasing.