# [small bug] Surprising "Did you mean this?"

3 messages from 2008-11-18 to 2008-11-18. Participants: Matthieu Moy, Andreas Ericsson, Samuel Tardieu.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/16380

## Matthieu Moy, 2008-11-18 17:05

Subject: [small bug] Surprising "Did you mean this?"
Message-ID: <vpqod0dezh9.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/vpqod0dezh9.fsf%40bauges.imag.fr

```
Hi,

The following is quite surprising:

  $ git tags 
  git: 'tags' is not a git-command. See 'git --help'.
  
  Did you mean this?
          status
  
I would have expected git to propose me "tag" (1 character removal),
while "status" is quite far from "tags" (remove g, add u, add another
t, shuffle and you're there).

my 2 cents,

-- 
Matthieu

```

## Andreas Ericsson, 2008-11-18 18:29

Subject: Re: [small bug] Surprising "Did you mean this?"
Message-ID: <492309A4.1050702@op5.se>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/492309A4.1050702%40op5.se
In-Reply-To: <vpqod0dezh9.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>

```
Matthieu Moy wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> The following is quite surprising:
> 
>   $ git tags 
>   git: 'tags' is not a git-command. See 'git --help'.
>   
>   Did you mean this?
>           status
>   
> I would have expected git to propose me "tag" (1 character removal),
> while "status" is quite far from "tags" (remove g, add u, add another
> t, shuffle and you're there).
> 

That's the Deveraux(?) addendum in action. shuffle+replace = 3 in the
distance score, while remove = 4 (I think).

Typos by users accustomed to computers are more often of the shuffle
(haed vs head) or replace (hwad vs head) kind, while those less
accustomed often fumble more and press more keys. For this case though,
I agree it gives a rather strange result.

-- 
Andreas Ericsson                   andreas.ericsson@op5.se
OP5 AB                             www.op5.se
Tel: +46 8-230225                  Fax: +46 8-230231

```

## Samuel Tardieu, 2008-11-18 18:45

Subject: Re: [small bug] Surprising "Did you mean this?"
Message-ID: <2008-11-18-19-45-45+trackit+sam@rfc1149.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/2008-11-18-19-45-45%2Btrackit%2Bsam%40rfc1149.net
In-Reply-To: <vpqod0dezh9.fsf@bauges.imag.fr>

```
>>>>> "Matthieu" == Matthieu Moy <Matthieu.Moy@imag.fr> writes:

Matthieu> I would have expected git to propose me "tag" (1 character
Matthieu> removal), while "status" is quite far from "tags" (remove g,
Matthieu> add u, add another t, shuffle and you're there).

It looks like the addition of a character at the end (more exactly
the deletion of a character in the possible substitution) is bogus.
I am testing a patch.

  Sam
-- 
Samuel Tardieu -- sam@rfc1149.net -- http://www.rfc1149.net/

```
