Re: [Monotone-devel] Question on layering

[Ethan Blanton]

Nathaniel Smith spake unto us the following wisdom:
> >   vii) convenience commands.  mtn clone == mtn pull --partial && mtn  
> > co (and puts the partial repository in the _MTN directory of the  
> > working copy).  mtn pcmp == mtn pull && mtn commit && mtn merge &&  
> > mtn push.  mtn pu == mtn pull && mtn up
> >   vii) All of these can be done pretty quickly (even as local scripts).
> 
> I am doubtful that we will ever make partial pull the default.  In
> most cases you don't need it, and making it _not_ the default gives a
> level of robustness that... umm... basically no other computer program
> I have ever used had.  We _likes_ our reliability around here, we
> does.

Now, I don't disagree that partial pull should be non-default behavior
(necessarily), but I do disagree with the thesis that in most cases
you don't need it.  This is very project-specific.  In the case of a
Gaim import that I have been playing with, a pull of just the "trunk"
branch of Gaim requires the network transfer of about 2.5x the size of a
checked-out workspace, and three quarters of an hour or so elapsed
wall clock time on a fast machine with a good network connection.
This is a huge cost for a casual contributor who wants to produce a
quick patch for an identified bug.

Monotone is tiny, and even it takes forever to pull.  ;-)

For the record, the manual horizon-style partial pull seems to satisfy
all of the requirements I would have for partial pulls -- regular
developers and those wishing to do serious work even over a short
timescale should have no problem with an hour long pull,
*particularly* if a partial pull will get a checked out workspace and
that hour-long pull can happen in the background.

Ethan

-- 
The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no remedy
for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
determined to commit crimes.
                -- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764

signature.asc
Description: Digital signature