On Wed, Apr 29, 2020 at 01:22:36PM -0700, Junio C Hamano wrote:

Taylor Blau [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

Again, not sure that this is always the case. This *is* how 'git
checkout' works.

To be honest, I am somewhat sympathetic to those who find "-" ==
"@{-1}" unless it is used as an argument to "git checkout/switch".
The use of "-" in "checkout" is the exception, not the norm, and it
was sort of justifiable due to similarity to "cd -".  Both are
commands to the computer you give to "go to the previous place".

"git merge -", "git branch -d -" etc. are not about *going* to the
previous place, and declaring the "-" is "previous place" is taking
it a bit too far, at least to my taste.

OK, I could sympathize with that as well. I still think that my
suggestion from earlier about documenting the fact that 'git branch -D'
already understands '@{-N}' as a separate first patch is valid.

If I were the author, I'd cut that as a first patch, and discard the
remainder if it sounds like we don't want to go with 'git branch -D -',
which is fine by me. (I don't really care either way, and I can
understand the arguments in both directions).

Oh, I do not like those who advocate "@" as a synonym for "HEAD",
either.  If there is one simple thing I want to get rid of from the
system, that's it ;-).

Anyway...

Thanks,
Taylor