Re: [PATCH v2 02/12] fmt-merge-msg: introduce a way to override the main branch name

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jun 17, 2020, 18:21 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqimfpv9io.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <877dw7csa0.fsf@evledraar.gmail.com>

Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason <avarab@gmail.com> writes:

Show 21 quoted lines

> On Mon, Jun 15 2020, Johannes Schindelin via GitGitGadget wrote:
>
>> From: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de>
>
>> +core.mainBranch::
>> +	The name of the main (or: primary) branch in the current repository.
>> +	For historical reasons, `master` is used as the fall-back for this
>> +	setting.
>
> Everywhere else in git-config(1) we just say something to the effect of
> the more brief:
>
>     The name of the main (or: primary) branch in the current repository
>     (`master` by default).
>
> I think we should do the same here for consistency & ease of reading.
>
> As you note at the start of this series we're not changing the default
> yet, so referring to the current default as historical is putting the
> cart before the horse as far as producing self-contained patch serieses
> goes.

Very good point.

In [*1*], I gave a potential outline of how a transition plan might look like (if we were to transition, that is), but what is written as step 1. in there should be split into two: step 0, in which the mechanisms (1) to change the default name used for the first branch and (2) to specify the primary branch that is special-cased by a few commands are introduced, without any future plan, and step 1, in which warning and/or advice messages knudge the users and hint the future direction.

Thanks.

[Reference]

*1* https://lore.kernel.org/git/xmqqeeqiztpq.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com