[antris]

> What I’m against is changing git to cater to people who can’t read the manual and make basic mistakes.

Why? Isn't software that doesn't require reading a manual and doesn't let the user make irreversible mistakes considered good design?

[munmaek]

Not if it means reducing capabilities of the program in order to add bumper guards.

I can’t think of any software that handles a complex program that doesn’t have a manual, documentation like a manual, or a learning curve. Git is a tool for developers, not casual users who want typical apps.

Again, you wouldn’t make an argument like this for a tool used by a plumber or a mechanic. If a tool succinctly handles a problem, good! But using tools is part of the profession; they have learning curves.

Most issues with git are PEBKAC issues because people refuse to spend 10 minutes of their life reading about a tool they may use for hundreds or thousands of hours. I wouldn’t want to cater to those kinds of people.

[antris]

Software can cater to multiple types of uses at the same time. You can have a learn-as-you-go experience while keeping your powerful tools that enable more fine-tuned or complex tasks. Easy-to-use vs. powerful is a false dichotomy.

About the plumbing/mechanic analogy, I totally would make the same case! Hammers and wrenches don't require a manual and can be used for very complex tasks, and that's exactly what makes them so well designed and popular. Few people want their hammer to have more features, and if they do, they still want to keep the good old hammer ready, because it's so easy and simple to use.

Especially calling out PEBKAC (Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Computer) - while even most of the expert git users, including the author himself say the interface could at least be made much better - makes me really suspicious that you simply like feeling superior to other people because you know something they don't, and you don't want to lose your "edge" if suddenly everyone can use version control without resorting to manuals.

[munmaek]

> Easy-to-use vs. powerful is a false dichotomy.

iMovie vs Premiere/Final Cut. Final Cut X vs 7. Garageband vs Pro Tools. Word vs LaTeX. and so on. It's very difficult to design interfaces that are easy enough for average users that don't impede pros/power users.

> hammer

A hammer isn't a good comparison. Something like a multimeter is what I was thinking of, etc. Git solves a significantly more complex problem than either of these, though.

> including the author himself say the interface could at least be made much better

I don't disagree! Git's interface -could- be better. That has nothing to do with my points above with regards to people refusing to read basic literature about the tools they use, expecting them to just magically do everything for them out of the box, "intuitively".

> feeling superior ... you don't want to lose your "edge"

This could not be further from the truth. I simply have no sympathy for people who refuse to read the manual or an intro to using a tool, and then complain about the tool being hard to use. Yeah.. it's hard because you didn't do any reading! Git is actually really easy if you read about the model that it uses. Most people don't need to venture out beyond ~5-6 subcommands, and even then it's easy to learn new subcommands like cherrypick, rebase, etc.

Adobe Photoshop, as another example, has a learning curve, but that tool is indispensable for professionally working on / editing images. (GIMP is also good, but that's not in the scope of this discussion). A lot of beginner issues are basically PEBKAC because they didn't read the manual. Same with Pro Tools, or probably any other software used by industry professionals. They're harder to use but what you can do with them (since they treat you like an adult, instead of holding your hand and limiting you) is incomparable to the output of apps designed for casual users.

[brigandish]

What can Git do that Fossil or Mercurial can't?