If you want to ignore the index, you'd always use "git commit -a".
So what's your point?
The old argument by incredulity. The fact that you cannot see it doesnt'
change the fact that I use it all the time. Usually not for the same file,
but committing something that is different in the index and in the working
tree is my normal behaviour - it's how any number of things work (like
merging while you have dirty state, or applying patches while you have
changes).
So, let me condense the argument:
- your argument is that cannot understand how anybody would ever want to
use this.
That's really what it all boils down to. That's your ONLY argument. You
didn't actually answer any of me explaining _why_ it's how it works, and
why it _has_ to be why it works. Your argument just boils down to "I can't
believe it's useful to be consistent".
My argument is:
- the current behaviour is actually very powerful, and I've given
examples of when I actually do use it (and whether you know it or not,
they are also things you've probably done - the "pull from somebody
else with dirty files" is actually exactly the same thing, you just
never realized it just because it happened to be the same thing on two
different files)
- the "git add file ; change file ; git commit" behaviour is absolutely
REQUIRED once you get the whole "git tracks content" logic. Doing
anything but committing the old version (the one you added) would be
illogical and wrong, because it's strictly against the whole POINT of
tracking content.
So. That's what it boils down to. Your personal incredulity against
fundamental concepts and real usage.
The reason I like UNIX is that it has "fundamental concepts". And
surprise, surprise, a lot of the same issues are at play in "git" too.
Pretty much _all_ the behaviour (apart from actual _naming_ issues) really
come from fundamental concepts, and _not_ doing special cases.
I guarantee you, in the end you're better off building a world-view on a
coherent guiding logic, than on "personal incredulity" or "I can't believe
that anybody would actually ever want to do that".
As an X developer, don't you get tired of hearing people saying "I can't
believe anybody would ever want to use a network transparent protocol and
do graphics from another machine"? The non-X people (and every single
"let's replace X with something more efficient" discussion) always tend to
take that approach.
Same thing. It really doesn't matter what you think is "normal". What
matters a lot more in the end is that you keep a coherent set of concepts,
so that once you really learn the concepts, it all makes sense.
And in git, the over-arching concept for just about _anything_ is "git
tracks contents, and filenames don't matter". The behaviour of "git add"
and "git commit" is just a small detail in that whole picture.
Linus
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