Re: log -S/-G (aka pickaxe) searches binary files by default

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Mar 3, 2017, 16:07 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqzih29wdu.fsf@gitster.mtv.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <20170303051721.r6pahs4vjtqqoevc@sigill.intra.peff.net>

Jeff King <peff@peff.net> writes:

Show 13 quoted lines

> On Thu, Mar 02, 2017 at 05:36:17PM -0800, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> ...
>> > Is that on purpose?
>> 
>> No, it's a mere oversight (as I do not think I never even thought
>> about special casing binary
>> files from day one, it is unlikely that you would find _any_ old
>> version of Git that behaves
>> differently).
>
> The email focuses on "-G", and I think it is wrong to look in binary
> files there, as "grep in diff" does not make sense for a binary file
> that we would refuse to diff.

Yeah, I agree.

> But the subject also mentions "-S". I always assumed it was intentional
> to look in binary files there, as it is searching for a pure byte
> sequence. I would not mind an option to disable that, but I think the
> default should remain on.

As the feature was built to be one of the core ingredients necessary towards the 'ideal SCM' envisioned in

  <http://public-inbox.org/git/Pine.LNX.4.58.0504150753440.7211@ppc970.osdl.org>

"-S" is about finding "a block of text". It was merely an oversight that we didn't add explicit code to ignore binary when we introduced the concept of "is this text? is it worth finding things in and diffing binary files?".

I do agree that it may be too late and/or disruptive to change its behaviour now, as people may grew expectations different from the original motivation and design, though.