[Buttons840]

Rebase can split commits as well as combine them. Rebase can be used to improve the commit messages of previous commits, etc.

If the history is important, as you assert, then a tool for rewriting and improving the history is also important.

[riperoni]

Arguably, it is not the real history anymore if you make it prettier.

Do you put manual work into rebases? It sounds like a lot of effort and time when collaborating.

[Buttons840]

It's not the full history, you're right. But nothing in git will ever be the full history.