Ramkumar Ramachandra [off-list ref] writes:
Currently, when we try to resolve @{<N>} or @{<date>} when the reflog
doesn't go back far enough, we get errors like:
# on branch master
$ git show @{10000}
fatal: Log for '' only has 7 entries.
$ git show @{10000.days.ago}
warning: Log for '' only goes back to Tue, 21 May 2013 14:14:45 +0530.
...
# detached HEAD case
$ git show @{10000}
fatal: Log for '' only has 2005 entries.
$ git show master@{10000}
fatal: Log for 'master' only has 7 entries.
The empty string '' is ugly, inconsistent, and fails to convey
information about whose logs we are inspecting. Change this so that we
What is this meant to update? I recall rewriting this part on
purpose.
Even though it appears unusual and invites confusion, it is very
consistent to say '' when the user asks for @... as we say 'master'
when the user asks for master@...; "inconsistent" is a very bad
label for it.