Re: [Monotone-devel] Re: user-friendly hash formats, redux

[Derek Scherger]

graydon hoare wrote:
>   - another local sequential system might involve keeping a sequence
>     number for each author, sorted by date, such that the numbers go
>
>       "derek-10", "graydon-12", "matt-72", "joel-13", "derek-11"

I was thinking about this approach the other day and I do like it. Two 
thoughts though:

        1. how do my commits get numbered if they're coming from
           different databases? this seems to require that I have
           a different key for each db that I might use, or else the
           numbers are not entirely stable, or something? hmm... now
           that I re-read your description above, so long as they have
           different dates they would get different numbers, but these
           numbers might be subject to change.

        2. being able to specify what came before or after derek-42
           would still seem to be quite useful as njs has pointed out.
           perhaps something like derek-42/-n and derek-42/+n or
           derek-42[-n] derek-42[+n] would be ok?

> I'm willing to completely toss out the selector stuff we have now if 
> nobody's using it. it's an experiment. I can accept failed experiments, 
> and we know the command-line is in need of an overhaul anyways. here is 
> a concrete proposal: what would happen if the command line accepted 
> revisions in any of 3 forms:
>
>    --hash   or -h  <id>                global hash identifier
>    --seq    or -s  <author>-<seq>      local sequence numbers
>    --rev    or -r  <x>.<y>.<z>...      local revision numbers
>
> and we ask a hook for your preferences as far as which to print out 
> (possibly all three) when listing logs, status, etc.

I think I like the --seq approach but I'm not sure I completely 
understand how --rev numbering would work. Being based on the "order 
things arrive" in my database makes me wonder if my numbers will be 
completely or subtley different from yours, making them not very helpful 
as a communication tool.

In doing the .restrictions branch I did wonder a few times whether we 
might end up with --id, --author, --date and also possibly something 
like --last n, --next n but the lack of association between these does 
seem rather messy.

Cheers,
Derek