Re: git checkout -b -t

John Tapsell [off-list ref] writes:

$ git checkout -t origin/mybranch
fatal: git checkout: --track and --no-track require -b

So they do exactly what it tells them:
$ git checkout -b -t origin/mybranch
Switched to a new branch "-t"

doh

How can we make this less easy for people to shoot themselves in the
foot?

 (1) Explain things in terms of semantics, not in terms of "brainless
     cut&paste" operations.

 (2) Avoid telling them what to do in the error messages, instead why what
     they did is an error.

E.g. "--track/--no-track does not make sense if you are not creating a new
branch" would be far less confusing in this particular case.