Re: [PATCH 00/59] Split config.txt

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Oct 20, 2018, 23:29 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqr2gkyz6f.fsf@gitster-ct.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <87d0s4ctds.fsf@evledraar.gmail.com>

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

> I had a slight bias against this when you started this, since I'm one of
> these odd people who don't mind ~20k line files if the line count isn't
> contributing to inherent complexity, e.g. in the case of config.txt you
> could just use the search function all in one file.

After typing "less Documentation/config.txt" and realizing that I have to open another file (which one?) to find how we described the push.default config, I am already experiencing a lot stronger bias against this.

But I know it will pass. Once this ~60 patch series completes, my irritation would peak, because at that point I would not be able to even do "git grep push.config Documentation/config*", but I would no longer be reaching for "less Documentation/config.txt" anymore at that point. Once Documentation/$group-config.txt (which I think is a mistake) are renamed to Documentation/$something/$group.txt, then I know I can do "less Doc<TAB>/$some<TAB>/$gro<TAB>" to get my ease of use back. There will still be an annoyance caused by having to open another file when reading description of branch.<name>.merge in branch-config.txt and seeing a reference to push.default, though.

And the end result makes it impossible to place a description of a new variable in a wrong section. It still is possible to mistakenly insert a variable in a wrong place in the right section that requires a fix like 8578037b ("config.txt: reorder blame stuff to keep config keys sorted", 2018-08-04), but we do not fix all the problems under the sky in one series ;-).

So after saying all of the above, I am moderately supportive of this series.