Re: [PATCH] grep: --full-tree

On Wed, Nov 25, 2009 at 3:20 PM, Jeff King [off-list ref] wrote:

Sure, there are all those downsides. But what is the other option?
Making me use the command line option (or pathspec magic) every single
time I invoke git grep?

Yes, but only when you want non-default behavior, not every single time.

That is a huge downside to me.

Is it *really*?  Does it also bother you that you have to tell standalone
unix commands like diff and grep what you want them to diff or grep every
single time you invoke them?

I started to try to write an argument against this, but I really don't
know how to. You don't think this particular option gets over the bar.
Probably because it is not something that has been annoying you
personally. But is _is_ something that has been annoying me. Now we are
both making claims from our gut. How do we proceed with a rational
analysis?

I really think that this config option wouldn't even help you, because
you'll have to remember what that option is set to in each working repo,
and type the right command based on the setting.  That seems worse than
having to use the same options over and over again, which you probably use
the shell's history for anyways and don't actually type the same stuff over
and over.  Oh and you also have to remember to set the option in each new
repo you create.

If you can get the behavior you want using an alias or a script, then I
suggest you do that.  I don't think this config option should be considered
unless *many* people want it, and so far I count only 1.

James