On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:49:29 -0800 (PST), Linus Torvalds wrote: > So in many ways, HEAD, FETCH_HEAD, MERGE_HEAD and ORIG_HEAD are more > fundamental than any long-term branch has ever been, and maybe they should > be taught first as such. Older in git's history as it developed is not a good match for more fundamental in the concepts that git makes available today. > > > Again, why didn't you use FETCH_HEAD? > > > > Because I am a Jar-HEAD? > > Well, we clearly should document them better. Anybody? I for one am totally unsatisfied with this approach. Here's an operations I'd like to be able to do: Given a (URL, branch) pair I'd like I'd like to be able to investigate that code, (say with the fancy new "read-only branch" concept we've been talking about). What are my options for this operation? What might a new user's reaction to them be? a) git fetch URL branch git checkout FETCH_HEAD This is really ugly. A name like "FETCH_HEAD" is something a user should really never have to type. It's hideously hard to type and has no natural discoverability. Yuck, yuck, yuck. b) vi .git/remotes/something git fetch something git checkout branch Also yuck. I hope it's obvious that having to edit a configuration for this simple operation is a non-starter. c) git fetch URL branch:local-branch git checkout local-branch We're getting close to the desired functionality now, but the UI makes users cringe? "What's that : for?" Why do I need another name?" etc. Linus, you yourself said this is a form that users should generally avoid. d) git fetch URL branch:branch git checkout branch One step closer. But there's still that goofy extra ':' and a doubled name in the first command. "Why is that there? Git sure is weird...". What I think this operation should look like is: git fetch URL branch git checkout branch And the fetch should just complain if there's a name clash. Or better, the fetch should tuck the fetched branch into its own URL-specific namespace and then the checkout command can kindly prompt if there is any ambiguity: Which "branch" do you want? local/branch remote-url/branch or whatever. See? That's what reasonable UI should look like. Please feel free to keep using vestiges like FETCH_HEAD as much as you like, but please don't recommend documenting them better as a solution for UI warts in git. (If you would only look at these warts closer, you'd see they have some lovely locks of hair on them.) -Carl
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