Subject: Re: [PATCH] optionally disable overwriting of ignored files

From: Holger Hellmuth <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:56:39 +0200

Am 23.08.2010 11:37, schrieb Matthieu Moy:
> Clemens Buchacher <[email-masked]> writes:
> 
>> By default, checkout and fast-forward merge will overwrite ignored
>> files. Make this behavior configurable.
> 
> Just mentionning an alternative, or complementary approach:
> 
> Instead of overwritting completely a .gitignore-d file, Git could
> rename it, and warn the user kindly. For example:

You've got my vote. This is the only option that combines safety with
minimal configuration hassle.

I didn't know about this subtle difference between .gitignore and
.git/info/exclude. And while this makes sense I expect a sizable
percentage of users will never even know that .git/info/exclude exists.

And in practice I guess a lot of files will get added to .gitignore even
though they only are relevant to one user (out of carelessness or
ignorance). I know I have added patterns without making a conscious
decision about their relevance to others.