From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Miles Bader Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Need vc-make-backup-files-when-linked Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0900 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: Miles Bader NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1237377614 20015 80.91.229.12 (18 Mar 2009 12:00:14 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:00:14 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Neal Becker Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Mar 18 13:01:31 2009 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1LjuSg-0003C0-5G for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:01:30 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:42956 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1LjuRJ-0002K1-Iy for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:00:05 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1LjuRC-0002JW-1o for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:59:58 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1LjuR5-0002Fa-QQ for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:59:56 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (port=41958 helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1LjuR5-0002FX-Li for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:59:51 -0400 Original-Received: from tyo202.gate.nec.co.jp ([202.32.8.206]:41837) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtps (TLS-1.0:DHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:32) (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1LjuR3-0004VO-8k; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:59:49 -0400 Original-Received: from relay31.aps.necel.com ([10.29.19.54]) by tyo202.gate.nec.co.jp (8.13.8/8.13.4) with ESMTP id n2IBxg35028729; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0900 (JST) Original-Received: from relay11.aps.necel.com ([10.29.19.16] [10.29.19.16]) by relay31.aps.necel.com with ESMTP; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0900 Original-Received: from dhlpc061 ([10.114.112.72] [10.114.112.72]) by relay11.aps.necel.com with ESMTP; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0900 Original-Received: by dhlpc061 (Postfix, from userid 31295) id 3B4F552E251; Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:59:43 +0900 (JST) System-Type: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu Blat: Foop In-Reply-To: (Neal Becker's message of "Wed, 18 Mar 2009 06:47:02 -0400") Original-Lines: 28 X-detected-operating-system: by monty-python.gnu.org: Solaris 8 (1) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:109674 Archived-At: Neal Becker writes: > It is commonly recommended to use cp -al to make local clones when using > mercurial. emacs will not break the hard links when files are edited, > because vc-make-backup-files is usually nil. I think the default setting of `vc-make-backup-files' (nil) is quite dangerous for another reason too: backup files and commits often do not have the same granularity, and if a user happens to edit for a long period of time before committing, there's a good chance they'll get screwed. This is especially true with source-control systems like CVS or Subversion that do not allow cheap/undoable local commits, but even for more modern systems, I don't think Emacs should be making such a dangerous assumptions (that they commit often, and so do not need Emacs backup files) about the users' work habits. Even in the case where a user has commited some changes, I don't think one can simply assume that the repository contents obviates the need for backup files -- for instance, I've grovelled through old emacs backup files trying to find some changes I had made a few days, but erased before commiting... -Miles -- The car has become... an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete. [Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media, 1964]