Re: How should I handle binary file with GIT

Nicolas Pitre [off-list ref] writes:

On Wed, 5 Apr 2006, Junio C Hamano wrote:

quoted

We've been trying to keep our diff output reversible (e.g. we
show what the filemode of the preimage is), so if we take the
above route, it probably should record deltas for both going
from preimage to postimage _and_ going the other way (unless
xdelta can be applied in-reverse, which I do not think is the
case).

You cannot reverse a delta.  However if you were able to apply a delta 
from preimage to postimage that means you must already have had preimage 
in your object store.  Therefore reverting such a patch would simply 
involve restoring preimage.

The case I had in mind was where you shipped a tarball of the
tip to somebody (or "a shallow clone"), and after seeing him
having problems with that release, sending him a patch telling
him "reverting this might help, could you please give it a try?"

Of course you could be nicer to him and generate the reverse
diff on your end in such a case instead.