Re: [PATCH] clone: forbid --bare --separate-git-dir <dir>

[Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>]

Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> writes:

> Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy wrote:
>
>> --separate-git-dir was added to clone with the repository away from
>> standard position <worktree>/.git. It does not make sense to use it
>> without creating working directory.
>>
>> Signed-off-by: Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy <pclouds@gmail.com>
>
> The patch correctly implements the above.  The description leaves out
> detail.  I'd say something like
>
> 	The --separate-git-dir option was introduced to make it simple
> 	to put the git directory somewhere outside the worktree, for
> 	example when cloning a repository for use as a submodule.
>
> 	It was not intended for use when creating a bare repository.
> 	In that case there is no worktree and it is more natural to
> 	directly clone the repository and create a .git file as
> 	separate steps:
>
> 		git clone --bare /path/to/repo.git bar.git
> 		printf 'gitdir: bar.git\n' >foo.git
>
> 	Unfortunately we forgot to forbid the --bare
> 	--separate-git-dir combination.  In practice, we know no one
> 	could be using --bare with --separate-git-dir because it is
> 	broken in the following way: <explanation here>.  So it is
> 	safe to make good on our mistake and forbid the combination,
> 	making the command easier to explain.
>
> I don't know what would go in the <explanation here> blank above,
> though.  Is it possible that some people are relying on this option
> combination?

I do not necessarily think we must say "it happens not to work
already for such and such reasons, lucky us!", but it is indeed a
good idea to think things through, justifying why this cannot be a
regression, and record the fact that we did that thinking, in the
log message.

Thanks.