Re: rebase destroys branches

From: "Gene Thomas [DATACOM]" <redacted>
Sent: Monday, March 04, 2013 11:06 PM

Hello,
I am evaluating git for use in a company. Please correct if I am wrong.
I am concerned that an inexperienced developer could mistakenly rebase
branches, destroying the original branch.

The original branch is not 'destroyed', rather the pointer to the 
previous tip is within the logs. All the content is still available 
until the logs expire.

  Attached is a script (Windoze)
that shows the 'topic' branch being moved!, after the rebase we are
unable to see the original branch, read it's history or find it's 
commit
points.

Surely no operation should remove anything from the repository.
Operations like this irreversibly break the repository . When rebasing
the original branch must be retained.

It's easy to misread some of Git's strengths if you have come from other 
historic corporate 'version control systems' which are often based on 
drawing office practice of old (e.g. the belief there is a single master 
to be protected is one misconception for software).

Rebase, at the personal level, is an important mechanism for staff to 
prepare better code and commit messages. Trying to hide the reality will 
just make your management 'control' less effective as staff work around 
it and delay check-ins, etc.

The broader access control and repo management issues are deliberately 
not part of Git, and there are good tools for that. e.g. Gitolite.

Yours faithfully,

Gene Thomas.

Philip