Re: [RFC PATCH v2 07/16] remote-helpers: Fetch more than one ref in a batch

Daniel Barkalow [off-list ref] wrote:

On Mon, 12 Oct 2009, Shawn O. Pearce wrote:

quoted

Some network protocols (e.g. native git://) are able to fetch more
than one ref at a time and reduce the overall transfer cost by
combining the requests into a single exchange.  Instead of feeding
each fetch request one at a time to the helper, feed all of them
at once so the helper can decide whether or not it should batch them.

Because 'fetch' was already released in 1.6.5 we introduce the new
fetch-multiple capability/command to signal that the helper wants
to use batch oriented approach to fetching refs.

In 1.6.5, there's no way to call a helper other than git-remote-curl, and 
no way to call git-remote-curl unless 1.6.5 was built with it. So I think 
the protocol is not set in stone quite yet. It's documentated for being an 
API, and it's supposed to be that, but it's not quite there in this 
version.

I originally had this change as just redefining "fetch" to be batch
oriented and requiring a blank line to terminate the batch group,
but reconsidered when 1.6.5 shipped and I realized this code was
in 1.6.5.

But, yea, you are right, with no way to invoke anything except
remote-curl there really isn't that much of a problem if we change
the protocol.

-- 
Shawn.