Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: give us a hand with arch

[conrad]

Hi,

On Sun, Sep 28, 2003 at 12:12:49PM +0200, Andrea Arcangeli wrote:
> 
> Sorry but I disagree here and that's the very reason the tag-id are
> metadata and they're not data, and they provide zero value to the
> project in the long run. Today swap_state.c is swap_state.c, tomorrow
> swap_state.c could be nvidia.c just because I did `move-tag swap_state.c
> nvidia.c`. then it's just worthless to rememeber that was swap_state.c.
> 
> Infact if something the tag-id should be a total random id and 'arch'
> should costantly audit for possible collisions since math doesn't
> guarantee safetly with the tagline (unlike explicit mode that can
> guarantee safety with my my-id+sequencenumber algorithm)
> 
> The very moment I run 'tag-move swap_state.c nvidia.c' it means I want
> to forget where that file came from in the data.  For me the old
> swap_state.c doesn't exist anymore, nobody should remind me where
> nvidia.c comes from when I read the source, that's pure confusion and
> worthless information in the source. That's nvidia.c now, it's a device

this sounds as if the "original" filename was part of the tagline and
therefore visible to anyone. That's not true - the tagline can contain
*anything*. It doesn't have to contain a filename, and you're pointing
out good reasons why it shouldn't. The solution is to simply use nothing
but a GUID for the tagline.


As to your other arguments I'd like to point out that "tagline" tags and
"explicit" tags are *functionally equivalent*. The only difference between
these is in commands that you use to deal with them:

operation         tagline                   explicit
===================================================
add new file  | generate $GUID          | Use "tla add-tag <file>" to
              | use $EDITOR or whatever | generate $GUID and
              | to append               | append it to ".arch-ids/<file>"
              | /* arch-tag: $GUID */   |
              | to the file             | 

rename file   | mv <file> <new-name>    | tla move-tag <file> <new-name> \
              |                         | && mv <file> <new-name>

delete file   | rm <file>               | tla delete-tag <file> \
              |                         | && rm <file>

That specifically invalidates your point that with "explicit" you can
have mathematically sound file-ids while with "tagline" you can't.

So, in essence:
If you think taglines "pollute" your sources files, don't use them.
Fine, you're the boss.
If you want your co-developers to use tla {add,move,delete}-tag instead
of the simpler commands, that's fine: you're the boss.

But I think all your other points are simply wrong, and you should stop
insisting on them.

Bye,
        Peter

Oh, btw, I didn't tagline either when I tried out arch for the first time...
now I'm using a mix of tagline and explicit and I'm quite happy with it.
-- 
Peter Conrad      | "Hi! I'm a signature virus! Copy me to your .signature,
Friedensallee 152 |  pleeeeeeeeeze!"   - found in someone else's .signature
63263 Neu-Isenburg
Germany

  email: address@hidden / WWW: http://www.unix-ag.uni-kl.de/~conrad