Re: [RFC/PATCH] git add: notice removal of tracked paths by default

Sverre Rabbelier [off-list ref] writes:

Is there a way to add disable this somehow? I don't think we have a
'--no-update', do we?

If we need to be able to disable this, then we are probably better off not
doing this change. After all, adding -A on the command line is easy.

The change makes sense only if nobody wants to do "only addition and
modification".

I have a strong feeling that the current "git add $path" semantics came
primarily from historical implementation and pure inertia, and not from a
well thought out design.  After all, when you are saying "git add ." (or
"git add dir/"), you are saying that you want to take what you have in
that directory as a whole, except for whatever is excluded with your
well-maintained .gitignore file. It felt very unnatural that the command
excluded removal without the "-A" option when I tried to be in that
mindset.

But as I said, I do not have a strong opinion for this change, other than
"if we need this optional, then it is not worth doing this".