# Problems with using git

11 messages from 2006-03-02 to 2006-03-08. Participants: Joseph Wakeling, Linus Torvalds, Andreas Ericsson, Greg KH, Junio C Hamano, Mark Wooding.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/3508

## Joseph Wakeling, 2006-03-02 00:25

Subject: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <44063B7C.40609@webdrake.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/44063B7C.40609%40webdrake.net

```
Hello all,

I'm a physics PhD student, not much experienced in serious software
writing, but I've got to the point where I felt learning to use a
version control system would be worthwhile.  I decided to go for git
rather than CVS or Subversion because I felt a distributed VCS would
have more potential for future projects.

However, I've been experiencing some difficulties with using git, with
the results of commands not always being what the tutorial
<http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/tutorial.html> says it
should be.  So, I'm hoping someone here can advise me!

I'm using openSUSE 10.0 and the package installed is git-core version
0.99.3git20050905-2.

The problem is to do with branches.  Wanting to make some trial
revisions, I typed,

    git branch trial

to create an appropriate branch.  However, typing "git branch"
afterwards results in an error message: "git branch: I want a branch
name".  No list of branches as the tutorial suggests!

However, I can use git checkout trial, make edits, and then go back to
git checkout master, and switch between the two, with the revisions in
one but not in the other.  So the branches do seem to exist, and I can
modify them separately as one should be able to.

Now, having played around with the changes and found that they really
work very well, I'd like to merge the changes in the trial branch back
into the master.  So, as per the tutorial, I type, git pull trial; and
am told, "No such remote branch: trial".  I've also tried, git pull .
trial, which has the result, "No such remote branch: .".

I also note that when I'm in the master branch, having used git checkout
master, if I go into gitk, it does not show the existence of the trial
branch: but if I go into git checkout trial, it does.  But the two
appear to be shown as completely separate entities.

Just as a test, I tried creating a throwaway branch,

    git branch silly

which I then tried to delete with git branch -D silly.  However, this
didn't delete the silly branch: it created a new one called -D (and both
of these *did* show up in gitk under the master branch).  Using
git-branch instead of git branch results in an error message: "bash:
git-branch: command not found".

The result is that I'm kind of confused.  I'd like to understand why the
commands I've tried from the tutorial haven't produced the results the
tutorial claims they will; but I'd also like to solve the original
problem: how just to merge the stuff in my trial branch back into the
master.

I suspect this might be simply that the SUSE package has some problems. 
For example, it doesn't appear to have any man pages included. :-(

Thanks for any advice,

Best wishes,

        -- Joe

```

## Linus Torvalds, 2006-03-02 00:52

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0603011651240.22647@g5.osdl.org>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/Pine.LNX.4.64.0603011651240.22647%40g5.osdl.org
In-Reply-To: <44063B7C.40609@webdrake.net>

```


On Thu, 2 Mar 2006, Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> 
> I'm using openSUSE 10.0 and the package installed is git-core version
> 0.99.3git20050905-2.

I think your problems are just related to the fact that the tutorial is 
newer than your git version.

Just fetch a newer version of git first (0.99.3 should be new enough to 
happily fetch a newer version using git itself, but it might be easier to 
just get a tar-ball), and you'll have an easier time at it.

		Linus

```

## Andreas Ericsson, 2006-03-02 01:24

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <4406493E.3000701@op5.se>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4406493E.3000701%40op5.se
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0603011651240.22647@g5.osdl.org>

```
Linus Torvalds wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 2 Mar 2006, Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> 
>>I'm using openSUSE 10.0 and the package installed is git-core version
>>0.99.3git20050905-2.
> 
> 
> I think your problems are just related to the fact that the tutorial is 
> newer than your git version.
> 
> Just fetch a newer version of git first (0.99.3 should be new enough to 
> happily fetch a newer version using git itself, but it might be easier to 
> just get a tar-ball), and you'll have an easier time at it.
> 

... and the way to fetch and install that repo with your current git is:

	$ git clone git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/git/git.git git
	$ cd git && make all strip install

There are 2215 commits since 0.99.3, so I think you'll find much has 
changed since then.

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

```

## Joseph Wakeling, 2006-03-02 13:52

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <4406F8B1.9050303@webdrake.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4406F8B1.9050303%40webdrake.net
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0603011651240.22647@g5.osdl.org>

```
Thanks very much to all who offered advice on this. :-)

Unfortunately openSUSE is somewhat out of sync not just with git but in
libraries necessary to install the latest version (libcrypto.so.4,
libssl.so.4).  The openssl (0.9.7g-2.4) and openssl-devel (0.9.7g-2)
packages don't contain these but rather contain libcrypto.so.0.9.7 and
libssl.0.9.7.  Just in case it's important to future git development.

Best wishes & thanks again,

          -- Joe

```

## Andreas Ericsson, 2006-03-02 13:59

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <4406FA46.7080608@op5.se>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/4406FA46.7080608%40op5.se
In-Reply-To: <4406F8B1.9050303@webdrake.net>

```
Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> Thanks very much to all who offered advice on this. :-)
> 
> Unfortunately openSUSE is somewhat out of sync not just with git but in
> libraries necessary to install the latest version (libcrypto.so.4,
> libssl.so.4).  The openssl (0.9.7g-2.4) and openssl-devel (0.9.7g-2)
> packages don't contain these but rather contain libcrypto.so.0.9.7 and
> libssl.0.9.7.  Just in case it's important to future git development.
> 

It might be useful for the openSuSE developers, but for git this is 
totally irrelevant. If you build from sources yourself they will be 
linked to whatever libraries you have installed.

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

```

## Greg KH, 2006-03-02 23:21

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <20060302232151.GA12252@kroah.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060302232151.GA12252%40kroah.com
In-Reply-To: <4406F8B1.9050303@webdrake.net>

```
On Thu, Mar 02, 2006 at 01:52:49PM +0000, Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> Thanks very much to all who offered advice on this. :-)
> 
> Unfortunately openSUSE is somewhat out of sync not just with git but in
> libraries necessary to install the latest version (libcrypto.so.4,
> libssl.so.4).  The openssl (0.9.7g-2.4) and openssl-devel (0.9.7g-2)
> packages don't contain these but rather contain libcrypto.so.0.9.7 and
> libssl.0.9.7.  Just in case it's important to future git development.

If you use the latest openSUSE betas or the FACTORY tree, git 1.1.3 is
available there.

10.0 was released six months or so ago, so that is why it contains an
older version of git.

thanks,

greg k-h

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2006-03-02 23:44

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <7vr75k5s4y.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/7vr75k5s4y.fsf%40assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net
In-Reply-To: <4406FA46.7080608@op5.se>

```
Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se> writes:

> Joseph Wakeling wrote:
>> Thanks very much to all who offered advice on this. :-)
>> Unfortunately openSUSE is somewhat out of sync not just with git but
>> in
>> libraries necessary to install the latest version (libcrypto.so.4,
>> libssl.so.4).  The openssl (0.9.7g-2.4) and openssl-devel (0.9.7g-2)
>> packages don't contain these but rather contain libcrypto.so.0.9.7 and
>> libssl.0.9.7.  Just in case it's important to future git development.
>
> It might be useful for the openSuSE developers, but for git this is
> totally irrelevant.

True, but I had an impression that we had active developers in
git community who are close to Suse, and I wonder why this
hadn't come up earlier.  Maybe our userbase and Suse's userbase
do not overlap much?

```

## Greg KH, 2006-03-02 23:58

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <20060302235824.GA13436@kroah.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060302235824.GA13436%40kroah.com
In-Reply-To: <7vr75k5s4y.fsf@assigned-by-dhcp.cox.net>

```
On Thu, Mar 02, 2006 at 03:44:13PM -0800, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> Andreas Ericsson <ae@op5.se> writes:
> 
> > Joseph Wakeling wrote:
> >> Thanks very much to all who offered advice on this. :-)
> >> Unfortunately openSUSE is somewhat out of sync not just with git but
> >> in
> >> libraries necessary to install the latest version (libcrypto.so.4,
> >> libssl.so.4).  The openssl (0.9.7g-2.4) and openssl-devel (0.9.7g-2)
> >> packages don't contain these but rather contain libcrypto.so.0.9.7 and
> >> libssl.0.9.7.  Just in case it's important to future git development.
> >
> > It might be useful for the openSuSE developers, but for git this is
> > totally irrelevant.
> 
> True, but I had an impression that we had active developers in
> git community who are close to Suse, and I wonder why this
> hadn't come up earlier.  Maybe our userbase and Suse's userbase
> do not overlap much?

Yes, some of us are quite close to SuSE :)

Anyway, the issue is that 10.0 was released about 6 months ago, and
contains the version of git at that time.  The latest development tree,
and the latest public betas contain 1.1.3.  If you think this should be
newer, I can easily go poke the proper people...

thanks,

greg k-h

```

## Mark Wooding, 2006-03-04 10:56

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <slrne0isi9.fr9.mdw@metalzone.distorted.org.uk>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/slrne0isi9.fr9.mdw%40metalzone.distorted.org.uk
In-Reply-To: <20060302235824.GA13436@kroah.com>

```
Greg KH <greg@kroah.com> wrote:

> The latest development tree, and the latest public betas contain
> 1.1.3.  If you think this should be newer, I can easily go poke the
> proper people...

Given that there's a security issue which got fixed in 1.1.5, I think
this is really a bit poor.

I notice, by contrast, that Debian had managed to repackage and release
a new GIT the day after Junio fixed the bug in the first place.  That
was more than a month ago.

-- [mdw]

```

## Greg KH, 2006-03-04 22:25

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <20060304222557.GA24628@kroah.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060304222557.GA24628%40kroah.com
In-Reply-To: <slrne0isi9.fr9.mdw@metalzone.distorted.org.uk>

```
On Sat, Mar 04, 2006 at 10:56:09AM +0000, Mark Wooding wrote:
> Greg KH <greg@kroah.com> wrote:
> 
> > The latest development tree, and the latest public betas contain
> > 1.1.3.  If you think this should be newer, I can easily go poke the
> > proper people...
> 
> Given that there's a security issue which got fixed in 1.1.5, I think
> this is really a bit poor.
> 
> I notice, by contrast, that Debian had managed to repackage and release
> a new GIT the day after Junio fixed the bug in the first place.  That
> was more than a month ago.

Fair enough, I'll go poke the proper people now...

thanks,

greg k-h

```

## Greg KH, 2006-03-08 02:16

Subject: Re: Problems with using git
Message-ID: <20060308021608.GA26634@kroah.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20060308021608.GA26634%40kroah.com
In-Reply-To: <20060304222557.GA24628@kroah.com>

```
On Sat, Mar 04, 2006 at 02:25:57PM -0800, Greg KH wrote:
> On Sat, Mar 04, 2006 at 10:56:09AM +0000, Mark Wooding wrote:
> > Greg KH <greg@kroah.com> wrote:
> > 
> > > The latest development tree, and the latest public betas contain
> > > 1.1.3.  If you think this should be newer, I can easily go poke the
> > > proper people...
> > 
> > Given that there's a security issue which got fixed in 1.1.5, I think
> > this is really a bit poor.
> > 
> > I notice, by contrast, that Debian had managed to repackage and release
> > a new GIT the day after Junio fixed the bug in the first place.  That
> > was more than a month ago.
> 
> Fair enough, I'll go poke the proper people now...

They jumped and the cogito and git should be updated to the latest
version in the next update.

thanks,

greg k-h

```
