Re: (bug?) Inconsistent workdir file timestamps after initial clone.

Marc Branchaud [off-list ref] writes:

My point is that the initial checkout into an empty working directory should
create all files with the same timestamp.

Or, to be a bit more precise, whenever git-checkout *creates* files in the
work dir, *all* the created files should have the *same* timestamp (i.e. the
current time measured at the start of the checkout's execution, not some
bizarro other time specified by some arcane heuristic).

My knee-jerk reaction is that it is insane to do so, but what other
SCM does such a thing? Even "tar xf" wouldn't do that, I think.

quoted

While not including files that can be rebuilt from the source may be
the ideal solution, I've seen projects hide rules to rebuild such a
"generated but needs special tools to build" and/or a "generated but
normal developers do not have any business rebuilding" file (in your
case, Makefile.in) in their Makefiles from the normal targets (like
"make all") for this exact reason, when they choose to distribute
such files by including in their commits.

I prefer to use the third-party code as-is, without hacking it, to have
smooth upgrades in the future.

Then perhaps take the complaints to that third-party upstream, not
here?