[darcs-users] Re: why do identical changes have to be conflicts?

[Mark Stosberg]

Thanks for clarifying this, David. 

> On 2004-12-05, David Roundy <droundy at abridgegame.org> wrote:
>
> The trouble is that the two patches might *not* be identical in intent.
> This change would mean that when two files of the same name are created by
> separate patches, they'd be treated as the same file, which would be wrong
> as often as it'd be right.  More to the point, it would most likely lead to
> inconsistencies.

Even for the 'hunk' patch? If two people add exactly the same content to
a file, in the same location in the file, I can't see how they could
have different intent. Perhaps it's possible they have different context
around the identical lines they have created?  

>> It would still be a benefit if this check was only made 'at the last
>> minute'-- It could safe confusion of looking sets of conflict markers.
>
> Well, we used to be "smart" about identical changes when resolving
> conflicts, but then that confused people, because they'd see that there is
> a conflict, but wouldn't see any markers!

I recall that. I think it's still confusing because I don't
conceptualize what has happened as a conflict. I think of it as 
1. not a conflict, or more conservatively: Two files which independently
had the same changes added, which I might consider notable or
interesting, but not a conflict, especially since it doesn't need to be 
fixed by hand.   Or again, perhaps it might, because there could be
different context around the identical line changes. (?).

    Mark

-- 
http://mark.stosberg.com/