Re: Git branch bug

On Sat, 5 May 2007, Johannes Schindelin wrote:

Hi,

On Sat, 5 May 2007, Guido Ostkamp wrote:

quoted

$ mkdir test
$ cd test
$ git init
Initialized empty Git repository in .git/
$ git branch experimental
fatal: Not a valid object name: 'master'.

So, it seems it is not possible to create a named branch on an empty
repository.

Actually, it is not possible to branch from a non-existing branch. So, 
this is somewhat expected from my POV.

This leaves open the question of how you make your initial commit in a 
branch that isn't master. I think the answer should be:

 $ git checkout -b experimental
 warning: You appear to be on a branch yet to be born.
 warning: Forcing checkout of HEAD.
 fatal: just how do you expect me to merge 0 trees?

Which should probably be:

 $ git checkout -b experimental
 warning: You appear to be on a branch yet to be born.
 warning: Putting you on a new branch yet to be born.

And leaving .git/HEAD pointing to refs/heads/experimental instead of 
refs/heads/master, with refs/heads/ still empty.

 $ git branch experimental

Should probably give a more informative error message, but branches with 
no commits that aren't the current branch has no existance at all, so it 
can't work to create them without switching to them.

	-Daniel
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