Hi,

On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:22 PM Felipe Contreras
[off-list ref] wrote:

On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 2:45 PM Junio C Hamano [off-list ref] wrote:

quoted

Felipe Contreras [off-list ref] writes:

quoted

We want users to know what is a fast-forward in order to understand the
default warning.

The intention is very good, but ...

quoted

+------------
+       A---B---C master on origin
+      /
+    D---E master
+------------
+
+Then `git pull` will merge in a fast-foward way up to the new master.

... I find the phrase "in a fast-forward way" a bit awkward.
Perhaps use the 'fast-forward' as a verb, i.e.

        Then `git pull` notices that what is being merged is a
        descendant of our current branch, and fast-forwards our
        'master' branch to the commit.

or something like that?  It should be in line with the spirit in
which glossary defines fast-forward, I would think.

The glossary defines a fast-forward as:

  A fast-forward is a special type of `merge`

So, if you consider "merge" a noun, then a fast-forward is an
adjective. If you consider it a verb, then it's an adverb. But it's
not a verb.

A square is a special type of a rectangle, but that doesn't make
"square" an adjective; both square and rectangle are nouns.

If it was a verb, then we should have `git fast-forward`, which may
not be a terrible idea, but right now a fast-forward is a modifier.

At least that's what I have in my mind, and the glossary seems to agree.

If you read the release notes and even various messages printed by
git, "fast-forwards", "fast-forwarded", "fast-forwarding", and "to
fast-forward" all appear multiple times.  And yes, "fast-forward" also
appears multiple times as a noun in addition to the various uses as a
verb.  So, I'd say the glossary just isn't comprehensive because in
this case we have a word that serves as both a noun and a verb.


Going back to the text Junio highlighted, I agree with him that the
phrase looks really awkward, and much prefer his suggestion
(regardless of whether it aligns with the current glossary).

quoted

quoted

+
+------------
+    D---E---A---B---C master, origin/master
+------------
+
+However, a non-fast-foward case looks very different.

s/foward/forward/ (the same typo exists above);

All right.

--
Felipe Contreras