[darcs-users] patch terminology

[Eric Kow]

On Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 17:03:16 -0500, Isaac Dupree wrote:
> minor quibble: can we please use a different name for a single (hunk
> or adddir or move etc.) than for darcs patches which are the
> collection of single (hunk, adddir, move, etc.) that you email and
> describe and stuff?

This sort of thing has come up in the past and it has lead us to modify
the interactive UI so that actions which touch primitive patches refer
to 'changes' (which now seems slightly unfortunate); whereas commands
that touch named/mega-patches refer to 'patches'

Please have a look at http://wiki.darcs.net/Glossary and perhaps
update it if you feel up to it :-)

> I think I've heard "primitive patch" but people
> aren't using such phrase regularly... I might even prefer a stupid
> word like a "modification"...

Personally, I would encourage the use of the word "primitive patch"
(which includes hunks, adddir, move, etc) as this captures the idea
quite nicely.

Words for patches:

 hunk patches: a specific kind of primitive patch

 primitive patches: hunks, adddir, etc

 named patches or mega patches: the kind that you push/pull

 patch: general word; Darcs generically operates on patches.
        there are different kinds (primitives, conflicts,
        named patches) and the same basic operations work on
        them all
 
 patch bundle: set of named patches

> I accidentally used "hunk" earlier before realizing that it refers
> only to one of the several types of modifications. (Or maybe this is a
> lost cause...)

I think what Git refers to as 'hunk' patches, we would think of as being
sets of hunk patches.  The discrepancy is unfortunate.  And yes, lots of
people do say 'hunk' when they mean 'primitive patch'

And I'm sure I've confused myself in there somewhere!

-- 
Eric Kow <http://www.nltg.brighton.ac.uk/home/Eric.Kow>
PGP Key ID: 08AC04F9
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