Hmmm...
# ps axurw smurf 26367 84.1 0.2 3200 2068 pts/1 R 20:08 40:30 /usr/bin/git-rev-list --objects 5771c72e2908fb68906020d07d4e0cb77d2
# strace -p 26367 stat64("/daten/src/noris/kundet.git/.git/objects/23/ae4dd0bab2f05dba8a3c77d4c792542b07b73e", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=204, ...}) = 0 [ lots of different filenames, however ..:]
# strace -p 26367 | grep ae4dd stat64("/daten/src/noris/kundet.git/.git/objects/23/ae4dd0bab2f05dba8a3c77d4c792542b07b73e", {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=204, ...}) = 0 [ lots of repetitions of the same filename => we're in a bad loop of some sort ]
# gdb /daten/src/git/git/git-rev-list 26367
(gdb) whe
#0 0xffffe410 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
#1 0xb7ec08f8 in _xstat () from /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6
#2 0x0804e2f0 in find_sha1_file (
sha1=0x81ddb20 "#\uffffM\u043a\uffff\uffff]\uffff\212<w\uffff\uffff\222T+\a\uffff>\uffffr\005\b\uffff\uffff\035\b",
st=0xbf87b450) at stat.h:366
#3 0x0804e752 in has_sha1_file (
sha1=0x81ddb20 "#\uffffM\u043a\uffff\uffff]\uffff\212<w\uffff\uffff\222T+\a\uffff>\uffffr\005\b\uffff\uffff\035\b")
at sha1_file.c:1600
#4 0x080514f8 in mark_parents_uninteresting (commit=0x0) at revision.c:106
#5 0x080514ed in mark_parents_uninteresting (commit=0x0) at revision.c:96
[ bah ]
#104 0x080514ed in mark_parents_uninteresting (commit=0x0) at revision.c:96
#105 0x080516d8 in prepare_revision_walk (revs=0x8066560) at revision.c:347
#106 0x08049ab4 in main (argc=1, argv=0xbf87c294) at rev-list.c:352I'll dig further tomorrow...