Re: [PATCH v4 0/2] doc: git-add: clarify DESCRIPTION section

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Aug 29, 2025, 17:11 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqv7m6m4sa.fsf@gitster.g>
In-Reply-To: <pull.1952.v4.git.1756468502.gitgitgadget@gmail.com>

"Julia Evans via GitGitGadget" <gitgitgadget@gmail.com> writes:

> Slightly reword the first sentence ("you use" instead of "Git stores")

The update is appreciated, but the topic has already been in 'next' for a few days since 2025-08-25 at 0c84501ed2, so we'd need to turn this into a follow-up incremental fix.

Here is what I came up with and will queue for today's integration cycle.

--- >8 ---
From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Fri, 29 Aug 2025 10:07:42 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] doc: rephrase the purpose of the staging area

From: Julia Evans <julia@jvns.ca>

Git does not really "store the contents of the next commit" anywhere; rather, you the user use the index to prepare it.

Signed-off-by: Julia Evans <julia@jvns.ca>
[jc; made the change relative to what is already in 'next']
Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
---
 Documentation/git-add.adoc | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/git-add.adoc b/Documentation/git-add.adoc
index bf793d2894..ad629c46c5 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-add.adoc
+++ b/Documentation/git-add.adoc
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ git add [--verbose | -v] [--dry-run | -n] [--force | -f] [--interactive | -i] [-
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 Add contents of new or changed files to the index. The "index" (also
-known as "staging area") is where Git stores the contents of the next
-commit.
+known as the "staging area") is what you use to prepare the contents of
+the next commit.
 
 When you run `git commit` without any other arguments, it will only
 commit staged changes. For example, if you've edited `file.c` and want

-- 
2.51.0-267-g71e270be43