Johannes Schindelin [off-list ref] writes:
Well, if I change `rev.diffopt.use_color != GIT_COLOR_ALWAYS` to
`rev.diffopt.use_color == GIT_COLOR_AUTO`, then the files will contain
ugly ANSI color sequences if I run `git format-patch -o . -3`.
The reason is, as I tried to explain, that the use_color field is *not*
initialized to GIT_COLOR_AUTO (which is equivalent to 2), but to -1.
Ah, OK.
It still feels safer to force no-color only when it is auto
(i.e. the user said --color=auto) or -1 (i.e. the default), rather
than when it is anything other than always, though.