Re: [RFC] Possible idea for GSoC 2020

[Derrick Stolee <stolee@gmail.com>]

On 3/18/2020 9:55 AM, Jakub Narebski wrote:
> I have added 'Generation number v2' as one of alternative ways of
> working on the more generic "Commit graph labeling for speeding up git
> commands" idea -- as first task, because it fit better the narrative:
> https://github.com/git/git.github.io/commit/a6d59820709417081c334a5120342987ff046f1a
> 
> Could you (or Stolee) check current proposal, so that it can be merged
> in?  Thanks in advance.
> 
>   https://github.com/git/git.github.io/blob/soc-2020-idea-jnareb/SoC-2020-Ideas.md

Thanks for the updated write-up. I think the narrative is helpful, describing how
we landed on the definition of "generation number v2" before going into the interval
methods.

The only comment I have is about this statement at the end, which seems to be a
carry-over from your perspective of wanting intervals instead of v2:

	Before starting on this task, at the beginning of the GSoC, it might be
	[a (sic)] good idea to check that interval labels would provide significant
	performance improvements at least in some cases (and if it is not the case,
	switch to working on generation numbers v2).

The final parenthetical (switch to working on...) is a bit presumptive. Instead,
please recommend an exploration period to determine which methods have which
performance improvements using prototypes and/or the Python notebook. I'm usually
of the opinion that a prototype is more informative as it compares the results in
context, and the student would learn about the code that needs to change before
creating review-quality patches.

Thanks,
-Stolee