Re: [PATCH/RFC] setup: update error message to be more meaningful

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Jul 29, 2017, 16:10 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqy3r7jkbb.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <1501330390.2001.1.camel@gmail.com>

Kaartic Sivaraam <kaarticsivaraam91196@gmail.com> writes:

Show 22 quoted lines

> On Fri, 2017-07-28 at 20:53 -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:
>> Kaartic Sivaraam <kaarticsivaraam91196@gmail.com> writes:
>> 
>> > Though the message seems to be most fitting one, I'm a little reluctant
>> > to use it as it "might" create a wrong picture on the minds of the user
>> > making them think this would be the case in other cases too, which we
>> > know is not true. For example,
>> > 
>> > 
>> >     git log -p --full-diff master --stat
>> > 
>> >     git commit -v Makefile --amend
>> 
>> These are accepted not by design but by accident.  
>> 
>> I do not think we even document that you are allowed to do these in
>> "log" and "commit" manual pages, and we should discourage them (I do
>> not even mind eventually removing these with the usual deprecation
>> dance, but I do not think it is worth the noise).
>> 
> That's interesting. In that case, I'll go with the suggested statement,
> happily!

It is not interesting at all. It actually is disturbing that you had the notion that these are "valid" command lines.

We perhaps need to somehow make sure new users won't be led to the misunderstanding. Improving our documentation is a good first step. We might want to have a group of volunteers who actively monitor the internets (e.g. stackoverflow and other places like that) and correct people who spread the same misunderstanding when they do.