bug#41604: guix pull impossible after rebasing a local repository

[zimoun]

Dear Arne,

On Sat, 30 May 2020 at 18:18, Arne Babenhauserheide <arne_bab@web.de> wrote:

> This sounds like a use-case for changeset evolution with
> hidden-but-retrievable commits:
> https://www.mercurial-scm.org/doc/evolution/index.html
>
> With that you can rebase and have linear surface history, but the
> rewritten commits still exist as hidden commits with references to the
> commits that superseded them.

Thank you for the pointer.  Yes it could be cool that "git rebase -i"
still stores the rewritten commits as hidden -- which would be removed
by "git gc".
However, IMHO, the question seems more about how to the use the weapon
than the weapon itself.  Other said, it seems more an issue about
practise than tool.
Well, rewrite the history is always dangerous, whatever the tools; and
one solution when one is not sure is to duplicate the branch with
e.g., "git branch --copy".

In this use-case, there is 2 incompatible requirements:
 - content-addressed for reproducibility etc. well the core principles of Guix
 - rewrite these addresses on the fly
Well, without care, for sure it would break one way or another,
whatever the tool is, IMHO.


> Problem: It not possible with Git. It would require switching to
> Mercurial — which would also enable useful abilities like coordinated
> rebasing in a group: https://blog.disy.net/hg-evolution/
> (and which is GPLv3-compatible)

I am sad too that 'hg' has lost against 'git'.  All my PhD was under
mercurial and I was really happy with it; tool easier to grab.  Now, I
am happier with Magit. ;-)
Speaking about DVSC, pijul and theory of patches looks very
interesting.  Whatever! :-)
https://pijul.org/


All the best,
simon