Re: [PATCH v2 4/4] init: provide useful advice about init.defaultBranch

[Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de>]

Hi Junio,

On Wed, 9 Dec 2020, Junio C Hamano wrote:

> Johannes Schindelin <Johannes.Schindelin@gmx.de> writes:
>
> > On Tue, 24 Nov 2020, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> >
> >> I am not saying it is a legitimate need.  I just wanted to make it
> >> clear that we deliberately chose not to grant that wish in the
> >> message.  An advice flag in this context means that the users can
> >> choose to let their distro and sysadm to flip the default silently,
> >> which is much worse than having to see the message every time they
> >> start a new repository with "git init".
> >
> > The distribution already can add patches, so this objection is a red
> > herring. The sysadm can pick a different value for `init.defaultBranch`
> > and dictate to the user silently what initial branch name to use, so that
> > is also a red herring.
>
> The "setting init.defaultBranch is the only way to squelch" approach
> means the ~/.gitconfig will have the settings soon after the user
> starts using Git and /etc/gitconfig will not allow administrators to
> force their will over what the user decides to use.  Distros adding
> patches to strip configurability by setting init.defaultBranch in
> user's ~/.gitconfig?  Is that the kind of possibilities worth
> discussing?
>
> So, no, your counter-argument above is nothing but a red-herring.
>
> If you want a counter-argument, please explain why "I am fine to see
> the default flipped to whatever the tool picks and having no control
> over when the flipping happens" can be a sensible choice for users
> with what kind of workflows.  The only folks I can think of who
> would be fine with that are (1) those who do not create the second
> branch in the repository and will stay on the primary branch
> forever, and (2) those who immediately rename the branch to what
> they want after "git init".  For other folks, such a choice is a
> disaster waiting to happen, and it just feels irresponsible to offer
> such a choice, at least to me.

I'll make this short.

I talked to a couple Git users whether they'd be fine if `git init` used a
different branch name by default, and everybody I asked said essentially
"yeah, whatever, I don't really care".

For that reason, Git for Windows' installer has that option, and will keep
offering it.

Ciao,
Dscho