From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 2020 21:58:04 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH 4/4] builtin/diff: learn --merge-base
Message-ID: <xmqqsgbu36vn.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <231ba3f661cc4aa7a55c44e339e187c6d70c5507.1599332861.git.liu.denton@gmail.com>

Denton Liu <liu.denton@gmail.com> writes:

> +In the case where one commit is given, a diff is displayed between the
> +merge base and the working tree or the index if `--cached` is given.

s/merge base/& between the commit and the HEAD/

As "merge base" in the context of talking about "one commit" does
not make sense, such a clarification would be necessary.

Jonathan suggested "--fork-point A B"; this replaces it with
"--merge-base A B".  Neither is quite satisfying, but other
people might be able to come up with a better names.

In any case, "git diff $(git merge-base MERGE_HEAD HEAD)" while
merging to see how the changes in the working tree look like is
something I've always felt cumbersome to spell, and this is a good
addition.

> +		OPT_BOOL(0, "merge-base", &merge_base,
> +			 N_("use the merge base between the two commits as the diff base"))

Define "diff base".  Eh, that was rhetoric---do not use such an
undefined word.  "compare with the merge base between two commits"
may work better.