Re: [PATCH 7/7] xdiff: make diff3 the default conflictStyle

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jun 11, 2021, 01:20 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqh7i5ci3t.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <YMIYUgo71aKJ1Nnx@coredump.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

Show 8 quoted lines

> I didn't look too deeply at your example, but I suspect it may be
> related to the fact that diff3 does not try to minimize the conflicts as
> much (and then the recursive merge on top of that piles on extra layers
> of confusion).
>
> There's a lot more discussion in this old thread:
>
>   https://lore.kernel.org/git/20130306150548.GC15375@pengutronix.de/

Yes, it does not help that the given sample involves conflicts in the inner merge, which is unfortunately almost unreadable. For less confusing merges, diff3 style is often a lifesaver necessary for avoiding mismerges by showing what the common ancestor looked like, so that the reader/merger/integrator can tell what each side wanted to do to the conflicted section.

Rejecting diff3 style output because of the way a conflicted part in the inner merge appears as a common ancestor version may be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. A different way to say it is that until we improve the way the conflicted inner merge is shown, diff3 style is not something we can recommend to new users as a default, I would think.