[ANNOUNCE] gitolite now has github-like "forking"

Hello,

[I'm sending this to the larger git community because I'd like to hear from people interested in this sort of functionality and willing to help me test it].

Gitolite's current "pu" branch has acquired some features by which it can now be used to do things like the "fork" operation of github (and presumably other similar services). Gitolite will never be web-based, or GUI, etc., so it's not even remotely in the same class as github but for some urgent, simple, needs this can be used to emulate forking repositories a la github.

What follows is a very short howto, for the curious. It assumes some knowledge of basic gitolite usage only because I didn't want to make this too lengthy; feel free to ask if needed.

Admin tasks (one time):

  * use the "pu" branch; the current tip is the commit called "(adc)
    documentation".  "adc" stands for "admin-defined commands"

  * install it, then edit `~/.gitolite.rc` on the server to
    uncomment/update the following lines as shown (or similar):

        $GL_WILDREPOS = 1;
        $GL_ADC_PATH = "/home/git/adc"; # or any convenient directory

  * copy the files from contrib/adc in the gitolite source to the above
    path on the server.

  * add the following lines to the default gitolite.conf that the
    install gives you:

        repo CREATER/.+
            C       =   @all
            RW+     =   CREATER
            RW      =   WRITERS
            R       =   @all

    All repos created now are public-readable by default.  Replace the
    "@all" in the last line with "READERS" if you want the repos to be
    private by default.

User tasks:

This is how users would use it, once their pubkeys have been added to the keydir/ and pushed as usual. We assume this is being done from user "alice"'s account.

Creating a new repo on the server:

    git clone git@server:alice/foo
        # create and clone an empty repo to start working
    git push [--all] git@server:alice/foo [refspec]
        # or, create and push from an existing repo in one shot

Removing an existing repo that you no longer need (be careful!):

    ssh git@server rmrepo alice/foo

Listing all repos you have access to (will show yours as well as others' repos that you have been given access to):

    ssh git@server expand [optional-pattern]

Forking user "bob"'s "bar" repo (assuming you have at least read access):

    ssh git@server fork bob/bar alice/bar

Setting permissions for a repo you own:

    ssh git@server setperms alice/bar
    RW bob
    R eve mallory
    <ctrl-d>

Getting permissions for a repo you own:

    ssh git@server getperms alice/bar
    # prints:
    RW bob
    R eve mallory

I'm rather pleased that, after a refactoring of the "query rights" code that was useful by itself anyway, this feature only added about 25 lines to the core code. Many thanks to Eli for sparking this whole thing off.

If anyone else wants to help me test it, I'd very grateful. Details at http://github.com/sitaramc/gitolite/blob/pu/doc/admin-defined-commands.mkd