Fwd: [RFC/FR] Should "git checkout (-B|-b) branch master...branch" work?

Oops, meant for all of you.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Martin von Zweigbergk <redacted>
Date: Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Subject: Re: [RFC/FR] Should "git checkout (-B|-b) branch master...branch" work?
To: Junio C Hamano <redacted>


On Fri, Dec 21, 2012 at 7:58 AM, Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] wrote:

    $ git checkout -B branch <old fork point>

Unfortunately, master...branch syntax does not seem to work for
specifying the "old fork point" for this purpose

I have personally always found it confusing to use the same syntax for
specifying ranges/sets and single revisions. I keep forgetting what
"git diff A..B" does. I know it doesn't do what I expect (i.e. "git
diff $(git merge-base A B) B"), but I don't know what it does (maybe
same as "git diff A B" (?), but that's besides the point). Having
worked a bit on rebase, I know that $onto can also take the "A...B"
form. So there is clearly some precedence for the "..." syntax to
refer to a revision in some contexts. I would have much preferred if
it was possible to make the revision parser generally interpret e.g.
"A.^.B" as "the merge base of A and B" (failing if not exactly one).
It seems like something that must have come up before. Is there a
particular reason this would not be a good idea?