Re: [PATCH] config.txt: clarify core.checkStat = minimal

Duy Nguyen [off-list ref] writes:

On Thu, Aug 16, 2018 at 7:01 PM Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

Nguyễn Thái Ngọc Duy  [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

The description of this key does not really tell what 'minimal' mode
checks exactly. More information about this mode can be found in the
commit message of c08e4d5b5c (Enable minimal stat checking -
2013-01-22).

While I agree that we need to do _something_, I am not sure if this
change adds sufficient value.  I _think_ those who wonder if they
want to configure this want to know what are _not_ looked at
(relative to the "default") more than what are _still_ looked at,
partly because the description of "default" is already bogus and
says "check all fields", which is horrible for two reasons.  It is
unclear what are in "all" fields in the first place, and also we do
not look at all fields (e.g. we do not look at atime for obvious
reasons).

So perhaps

        When this configuration variable is missing or is set to
        `default`, many fields in the stat structure are checked to
        detect if a file has been modified since Git looked at it.
        Among these fields, when this configuration variable is set
        to `minimal`, sub-second part of mtime and ctime, the uid
        and gid of the owner of the file, the inode number (and the
        device number, if Git was compiled to use it), are excluded
        from the check, leaving only the whole-second part of mtime
        (and ctime, if `core.trustCtime` is set) and the filesize to
        be checked.

or something?

Perfect. I could wrap it in a patch, but I feel you should take
authorship for that one. I'll leave it to you to create this commit.

If I find time after today's integration cycle, perhaps I can get to
it, but not until then (so the above won't be in today's pushout).

Thanks for reading it over.