> I had wondered whether we can entirely drop add_to_alternates_memory() > but I see on second reading that that's still used by > register_all_submodule_odb...(). I wonder if it can become static in > submodule.c to prevent users from dodging the envvar+BUG()? You mean make add_to_alternates_memory() static? I'm not sure how we can do that - alternates is a concern that extends beyond submodules. > Curious whether add_submodule_odb() can be reduced by calling > add_submodule_odb_by_path() internally. That's a reasonable idea, but I don't think it works in this case - in particular, add_submodule_odb_by_path() dups its argument whereas add_submodule_odb() already has an allocated string that it is prepared to give up ownership of. Also, add_submodule_odb_by_path() is only one line, so it won't save us much.
