[saghm]

The idiom here is use `edit` if you want to edit a commit, and use `new` if you want to make a new commit. This works identically whether you specify the commit via branch name or commit id. I'm not sure why people are saying not to use `edit` ever. It's basically just a shorthand for staging and amending changes in an existing commit, and there's still a use case for that; it's just not "I want to see the changes on this old branch".

[embedding-shape]

> Just don't ever use `edit`,

> The idiom here is use `edit` if you want to edit a commit

You know, you guys have fun with that, I'll continue using git which (probably) has the same amount of warts, but I already know them. I'll continue to refer new VCS users to jj, seems a lot easier to learn, but really don't have the interest to re-learn a bunch of ever-changing idioms.

[saghm]

I disagree with the people saying "never use edit". There are plenty of people saying conflicting things about git too, and I'd argue that understanding edit versus new isn't anywhere close to the level of wart that having to get people to agree on merging versus rebasing. Like you said though, have fun with that!

[sswatson]

No system is perfect, but there's nothing wrong with `jj edit` and `jj new`. Both commands are completely reasonable and do what you think they would do.

[medler]

jj has far fewer warts than git. You don’t have to learn every jj idiom, you just have to find a workflow you like, which you will, quickly, because it’s so easy to use. Personally I don’t know why anyone uses `edit` but if they like it then I’m happy for them.

[ncphillips]

But I have a workflow I like with git and I can’t see how jj would be better. I’m genuinely curious as to whether it would be or not, but the behaviours people are describing are not things that interest me.

[medler]

For me the killer feature of jj is how much easier it makes rebasing. With git, if I knew a coworker had recently merged changes to a file I’d been working on, I would really dread syncing because I knew there was a good chance I’d get stuck in rebase hell.

With jj, you still have to deal with conflicts, but you can do it on your own time, so I never fear syncing anymore. Also, on the rare occasion that I mess up a merge, I no longer have to pull out my git sorcerer hat to fix it. I just `jj undo` and it’s like it never happened.

[joshuamorton]

I think it's because it's easy to make annoying mistakes (still easy to fix with undo) with edit. And it gains relatively little over new+squash. Edit is a useful power-feature, but I think for a novice, "never use it, only use the more well understood workflow of new+squash" is a good heuristic.