Re: [Monotone-devel] Re: Looking at the code affected in bug 9752 leaves a weird taste...

[Jon Bright]

Hi,

I agree we're now saying more or less the same thing.

Richard Levitte - VMS Whacker wrote:

> jon> Wouldn't a --type=[text|text-alwayslf|text-alwayscrlf|binary]
> jon> parameter be easier for all concerned?
>
> --type=[text|binary], IMHO.

...except for this point.  I think I'm probably restating what Bruce 
already said, but you do need to be able to override use of local line 
conventions on text files.  You need to be able to do this on a 
monotone/system-wide basis, presumably via a hook, and you need to be 
able to do it on a per-file basis.

Reasons for doing this on a monotone/system-wide basis are things such 
as checking out onto a Samba share or so on a Linux box.  The share's 
going to be used by Windows clients and hence you want CR+LF, but the 
system line ending is LF.  Similar scenarios occur for things like 
checking out before using Wine, or (my personal favourite) checking out 
in Windows ready to use in Linux on a dual-boot system (my laptop's dual 
 boot, but because Broadcom were kind enough not to publish specs for 
my wireless LAN card, only Windows has network access).  The systemwide 
override is certainly less common and used for more esoteric things, but 
I think at the cost of a hook, it's worth it.

On a per-file basis:

a) some standards presumably specify a line-ending for a file - it then 
always wants to be checked out with that line-ending, otherwise the VC 
system's caused you to violate the standard

b) some tools are broken and only work with one or the other line ending 
(I believe there are several affected MS tools, and I recall seeing 
problems with Borland Builder with CVS checking out its project files 
using CR+LF because it was on Windows, but Builder having written them 
with LF-only and expecting to get them back in that format)

c) you're checking out text files which have CR+LF conventions (so that 
Windows Notepad doesn't screw them up) onto a website hosted on a Linux box.

d) I could probably come up with more examples, but you get the idea...

--
Jon Bright
Silicon Circus Ltd.
http://www.siliconcircus.com