From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Jun 2020 17:08:57 GMT
Subject: Re: [PATCH] sparse-checkout: avoid staging deletions of all files
Message-ID: <xmqqzh9ipxli.fsf@gitster.c.googlers.com>
In-Reply-To: <6e5970f6-9b9b-19ba-1035-f4f53d9ac030@gmail.com>

Derrick Stolee <stolee@gmail.com> writes:

> So maybe be purposeful and include the -a option and expect only the
> .git dir (along with . and ..)?
>
> Something like:
>
> 	cat >expect <<-\EOF &&
> 	.
> 	..
> 	.git
> 	EOF
> 	ls -a clone_no_checkout >actual &&
> 	test_cmp expect actual &&

Is it guaranteed that everybody has dot and dot-dot in their
directory?  

  https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/ls.html

has this to describe the "-A" option:

    Write out all directory entries, including those whose names
    begin with a <period> ( '.' ) but excluding the entries dot and
    dot-dot (if they exist).

whose "if they exist" scares me ;-)