# [PATCH] clean: Use past tense for msg_remove, msg_skip_git_dir, and msg_skip_cwd

4 messages from 2022-02-10 to 2022-02-14. Participants: Bagas Sanjaya, Patrick Marlier, Elijah Newren, Junio C Hamano.
Thread: https://gitlist.dev/t/57398

## Bagas Sanjaya, 2022-02-10 02:41

Subject: [PATCH] clean: Use past tense for msg_remove, msg_skip_git_dir, and msg_skip_cwd
Message-ID: <20220210024138.157327-1-bagasdotme@gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/20220210024138.157327-1-bagasdotme%40gmail.com

```
Use past tense form of "to remove" and "to skip". This is especially
true when we had already removed an entry.

Link:
https://lore.kernel.org/git/CAKQMxzSQRL-Q5daxETF+gYhVScmq_n=r2LJAeEuxpM7=jPajZQ@mail.gmail.com/T/#u
Reported-by: Patrick Marlier <patrick.marlier@gmail.com>
Signed-off-by: Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com>
---
 builtin/clean.c | 6 +++---
 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/builtin/clean.c b/builtin/clean.c
index 3ff02bbbff..f1cd114ee2 100644
--- a/builtin/clean.c
+++ b/builtin/clean.c
@@ -30,13 +30,13 @@ static const char *const builtin_clean_usage[] = {
 	NULL
 };
 
-static const char *msg_remove = N_("Removing %s\n");
+static const char *msg_remove = N_("Removed %s\n");
 static const char *msg_would_remove = N_("Would remove %s\n");
-static const char *msg_skip_git_dir = N_("Skipping repository %s\n");
+static const char *msg_skip_git_dir = N_("Skipped repository %s\n");
 static const char *msg_would_skip_git_dir = N_("Would skip repository %s\n");
 static const char *msg_warn_remove_failed = N_("failed to remove %s");
 static const char *msg_warn_lstat_failed = N_("could not lstat %s\n");
-static const char *msg_skip_cwd = N_("Refusing to remove current working directory\n");
+static const char *msg_skip_cwd = N_("Refused to remove current working directory\n");
 static const char *msg_would_skip_cwd = N_("Would refuse to remove current working directory\n");
 
 enum color_clean {

base-commit: 2b9c1209706bc2ef0ab09fb0bdc7d405e225ce8b
-- 
An old man doll... just what I always wanted! - Clara


```

## Patrick Marlier, 2022-02-12 09:14

Subject: Re: [PATCH] clean: Use past tense for msg_remove, msg_skip_git_dir, and msg_skip_cwd
Message-ID: <CAKQMxzRE515dAu5a=g6pLMEf3EWu7XUX41XkyAca+1ewCzXNGw@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CAKQMxzRE515dAu5a%3Dg6pLMEf3EWu7XUX41XkyAca%2B1ewCzXNGw%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <20220210024138.157327-1-bagasdotme@gmail.com>

```
On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 3:42 AM Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com> wrote:
> Use past tense form of "to remove" and "to skip". This is especially
> true when we had already removed an entry.

Looks good to me.
Thanks Bagas!
--
Patrick Marlier

```

## Elijah Newren, 2022-02-12 22:29

Subject: Re: [PATCH] clean: Use past tense for msg_remove, msg_skip_git_dir, and msg_skip_cwd
Message-ID: <CABPp-BEguZQMTjDxEpMqKwKpDdPj9yWbL5T_wRJhD3KDJK5=UQ@mail.gmail.com>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/CABPp-BEguZQMTjDxEpMqKwKpDdPj9yWbL5T_wRJhD3KDJK5%3DUQ%40mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To: <20220210024138.157327-1-bagasdotme@gmail.com>

```
On Wed, Feb 9, 2022 at 6:42 PM Bagas Sanjaya <bagasdotme@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Use past tense form of "to remove" and "to skip". This is especially
> true when we had already removed an entry.

This strikes me as an unnecessary or at least insufficiently motivated
patch.  The difference between "Removing <path>" and "Removed <path>"
is lost in the noise when there is no user-input or other behavior
slowing these down, and they are removed at the speed the machine can
remove.  The only time the user will be able to tell the difference is
if they are using strace or a debugger, and I really don't like the
idea of changing the UI and making translators do more work just for
those users.  Besides, we could just print the messages earlier.

A bigger question to me, is what tense do other commands in git use?
If one command prints:

   Removed <path>

but another prints

   Patching <path>

then that's a minor inconsistency that users may actually notice.  I
have no idea what tense git tends to use for all its different
commands, but before changing some strings and incurring more work for
translators, I'd think we'd want to make sure we are at least
increasing consistency in this area rather than decreasing it.

Anyway, it may not be a big deal, but that's just my random thoughts
on the patch.

```

## Junio C Hamano, 2022-02-14 17:23

Subject: Re: [PATCH] clean: Use past tense for msg_remove, msg_skip_git_dir, and msg_skip_cwd
Message-ID: <xmqq8rud4b17.fsf@gitster.g>
URL: https://gitlist.dev/e/xmqq8rud4b17.fsf%40gitster.g
In-Reply-To: <CABPp-BEguZQMTjDxEpMqKwKpDdPj9yWbL5T_wRJhD3KDJK5=UQ@mail.gmail.com>

```
Elijah Newren <newren@gmail.com> writes:

> This strikes me as an unnecessary or at least insufficiently motivated
> patch.  The difference between "Removing <path>" and "Removed <path>"
> is lost in the noise when there is no user-input or other behavior
> slowing these down, and they are removed at the speed the machine can
> remove.

True.

```