# Confusing text in git-prune.txt

3 messages from 2009-01-16 to 2009-01-16. Participants: Adeodato Simó, Johannes Sixt.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/17209

## Adeodato Simó, 2009-01-16 16:50

Subject: Confusing text in git-prune.txt
Message-ID: <20090116165013.GA14196@chistera.yi.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20090116165013.GA14196%40chistera.yi.org

```
From git-prune.txt:

    [...] prunes all unpacked objects unreachable from any of
    these head objects from the object database. In addition,
    it prunes the unpacked objects that are also found in packs by
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    running git-prune-packed.

How can "unpacked objects" be "found in packs"? Maybe the first
"unpacked" should be "unreachable". But if that's the case, wouldn't
this be better:

    [...] prunes from the object database all objects unreachable from
    any of these heads. Prunning already-packed objects is done with
    the help of git-prune-packed.

Thoughts? Or am I reading the original text wrong?

-- 
Adeodato Simó                                     dato at net.com.org.es
Debian Developer                                  adeodato at debian.org
 
I promise you. Once I enter into an exclusive relationship, I sleep with
very few people.
                -- Denny Crane

```

## Johannes Sixt, 2009-01-16 16:56

Subject: Re: Confusing text in git-prune.txt
Message-ID: <4970BC25.7020007@viscovery.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4970BC25.7020007%40viscovery.net
In-Reply-To: <20090116165013.GA14196@chistera.yi.org>

```
Adeodato Simó schrieb:
> From git-prune.txt:
> 
>     [...] prunes all unpacked objects unreachable from any of
>     these head objects from the object database. In addition,
>     it prunes the unpacked objects that are also found in packs by
>     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>     running git-prune-packed.
> 
> How can "unpacked objects" be "found in packs"?

An object can exist more than once in the database. prune-packed removes
the loose (unpacked) instance of the object if it also available in a pack.

-- Hannes

```

## Adeodato Simó, 2009-01-16 17:02

Subject: Re: Confusing text in git-prune.txt
Message-ID: <20090116170217.GA14855@chistera.yi.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20090116170217.GA14855%40chistera.yi.org
In-Reply-To: <4970BC25.7020007@viscovery.net>

```
* Johannes Sixt [Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:56:05 +0100]:

> Adeodato Simó schrieb:
> > From git-prune.txt:

> >     [...] prunes all unpacked objects unreachable from any of
> >     these head objects from the object database. In addition,
> >     it prunes the unpacked objects that are also found in packs by
> >     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >     running git-prune-packed.

> > How can "unpacked objects" be "found in packs"?

> An object can exist more than once in the database. prune-packed removes
> the loose (unpacked) instance of the object if it also available in a pack.

Ah, thanks, that explains everything.

I read the manpage for git-prune-unpacked, but I didn't manage to figure
it out. It may have helped if instead of saying:

    git-prune-packed - Remove extra objects that are already in pack files

it would have said:

    git-prune-packed - Remove loose objects that are already in pack files
                              ^^^^^

By stating that those objects are "extra", we're losing the information
of where are they. And by reading that synopsis, one can already infer
they are "extra".

Cheers,

-- 
Adeodato Simó                                     dato at net.com.org.es
Debian Developer                                  adeodato at debian.org
 
                                 Listening to: Radiohead - Bodysnatchers

```