# RE: \[RFC PATCH 01/35\] merge: improve fatal fast-forward message

- From: Felipe Contreras \<hidden\>
- Date: 2021-07-06 22:14:12 
- List: git
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2021/07/7894333
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/git/2021/07/7894163/t.md

```text
Randall S. Becker wrote:
> On July 6, 2021 5:12 PM, Felipe Contreras wrote:

> >But this is not a `git merge`, this is a `git merge --ff-only`; they
> >are different operations. There *never* is a need for `--abort` with
> >`git merge --ff-only`.
> 
> Well, you know that and I know that, but having to explain this to
> every new git user who will operationally use git merge --ff-only
> within hours or days of their first clone is a different matter.

New users don't do `git merge --ff-only`, they very likely don't do
`git merge` either, nor do they do `git pull --ff-only`. This is obvious
from the countless threads where users do `git pull` without knowing
that they will create a true merge by mistake.

Even less likely is that they will know about `git merge --abort`, and even
less that they will know both `git merge --ff-only` and
`git merge --abort`.

Even even less likely that they will mistakenly expect
`git merge --ff-only` to be left inside a temporary stated to be
resolved by `git merge --abort`.

But as Junio said, *if* such a hypothetical user exists, we don't want
to keep misleading them into thinking that a true merge was somehow
aborted, because it wasn't.

It's much better to simply let go the current error message.

Cheers.

-- 
Felipe Contreras
```