Re: [PATCH] config.txt: clarify core.checkStat = minimal

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

Duy Nguyen <pclouds@gmail.com> writes:

> On Thu, Aug 16, 2018 at 7:01 PM Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> wrote:
>>
>> Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy  <pclouds@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>> > The description of this key does not really tell what 'minimal' mode
>> > checks exactly. More information about this mode can be found in the
>> > commit message of c08e4d5b5c (Enable minimal stat checking -
>> > 2013-01-22).
>> >
>>
>> While I agree that we need to do _something_, I am not sure if this
>> change adds sufficient value.  I _think_ those who wonder if they
>> want to configure this want to know what are _not_ looked at
>> (relative to the "default") more than what are _still_ looked at,
>> partly because the description of "default" is already bogus and
>> says "check all fields", which is horrible for two reasons.  It is
>> unclear what are in "all" fields in the first place, and also we do
>> not look at all fields (e.g. we do not look at atime for obvious
>> reasons).
>>
>> So perhaps
>>
>>         When this configuration variable is missing or is set to
>>         `default`, many fields in the stat structure are checked to
>>         detect if a file has been modified since Git looked at it.
>>         Among these fields, when this configuration variable is set
>>         to `minimal`, sub-second part of mtime and ctime, the uid
>>         and gid of the owner of the file, the inode number (and the
>>         device number, if Git was compiled to use it), are excluded
>>         from the check, leaving only the whole-second part of mtime
>>         (and ctime, if `core.trustCtime` is set) and the filesize to
>>         be checked.
>>
>> or something?
>
> Perfect. I could wrap it in a patch, but I feel you should take
> authorship for that one. I'll leave it to you to create this commit.

If I find time after today's integration cycle, perhaps I can get to
it, but not until then (so the above won't be in today's pushout).

Thanks for reading it over.