[Monotone-devel] namespace-ifying attrs

[Nathaniel Smith]

I'd like to bring up the idea of namespace-ifying file attributes.
Basically, replacing "execute" with "mtn:execute", and so forth.

The proximal inspiration comes from subversion:
  http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.1/ch07s02.html#svn-ch-7-sect-2.1
which supports a number of built-in "properties" (their equivalent to
file attributes):
  http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.1/ch07s02.html#svn-ch-7-sect-2.3
and prefixes them all with "svn:", to keep them distinct from any
custom properties that users might define.

This is similar to how we reserve "MT" and ".mt-*" in the monotone
working copy namespace for our own use; we would reserve "mtn:" for
our own use in the attr namespace.

Objections:
  -- not really necessary, because there are hardly any attributes
     anyway
  -- just clutters up the place with unnecessary concepts and
     punctuation; feels like something a plodding corporation would
     come up with
Counter-objections:
  -- better safe than sorry; we don't know whether there will be an
     explosion of custom attrs or not.

As to prior work, I have in some quick searching found some evidence
that people make use of these properties in svn:
  http://projects.edgewall.com/trac/ticket/1601
  http://tmate.org/tracker/view.php?id=117&nbn=3
(I googled for "custom svn properties".)

I'm leaning towards doing this.  The time to do it is now, when we
rebuild for rosters anyway; I would _like_ the rosters rebuild to
result in something that we are comfortable supporting in the long
term.  I don't know if it will happen, but it seems worth making the
attempt.

So, should we do this?

If we do do this, the most important question is how to migrate.  In
particular, what should "rosterify" do with any custom attributes that
people are already using?

-- Nathaniel