[darcs-users] Making default email address for 'darcs send' a preference

[Gwern Branwen]

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On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 4:34 AM, Eric Kow  wrote:
> On Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 23:03:46 -0500, Gwern Branwen wrote:
>> So, this leads me to my point: why not make email a setpref'able
>> option? This has other benefits than being more straightforward and
>> consistent: if it's a pref patch like the others, then it is pullable.
>
> Maybe.  The advantage of making it setpref'able is that you would be
> able to darcs get a repository, and then send to the clone using the
> public email address.  Presumably, we would still have to keep the two
> things around (_darcs/prefs/email and the email pref), for example,
> overriding the public pref if there exists a local pref.
>
> One more general problem I have with the prefs system is that from a UI
> standpoint, we conflate local and global prefs.  That is, if you're a
> darcs newbie, and you're looking at the _darcs/prefs directory, how the
> are you supposed to know that the boring, binaries, defaults, motd,
> email files are user-editable, whereas the prefs file is not?  In an
> ideal world, darcs would have kept the two kinds of things in separate
> directories from the very beginning.  Maybe worth noting, Ian.

One thing I like about the idea of setprefing email is that, aside
from a more consistent UI, it makes forking clearer; the new person
does a 'darcs setpref email lemmih at gmail.com && darcs replace jhc lhc
`find .` && darcs replace old-address new-address `find .`'* and he's
basically done everything needed to change the name, address, and
where patches go. Or if it's not a fork but some sort of branch, a
developer who has fetched that branch, she can set the email to the
main branch and every so often fire off a bundle. And so on.

* random example

- --
gwern
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