Re: [RFC PATCH v2 3/6] doc: Add namespace collision guidelines file

[Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>]

Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com> writes:

> Kenneth Lorber <keni@his.com> writes:
>
>> +Git uses identifiers in a number of different namespaces:
>> +
>> +* environment variables
>> +* files in $GIT_DIR
>> +* files in the working trees
>> +* config sections
>> +* hooks
>> +* attributes
>
> The names of the subcommands "git" can spawn is a shared resource.
> You can install "git-imerge" program in one of the directories on
> your $PATH and say "git imerge" to invoke the program.  
>
> Two third-party developers may have to coordinate to avoid giving
> the same name to their totally-unrelated tools, if they hope that
> both of their tools to be useful in the larger Git ecosystem.

Also names of worktrees that are attached to a single repository.
If a third-party tool wants to make it "easy" for its users by
automatically taking a name to do its job (instead of forcing the
users to come up with a name and giving it to the tool), the name
must be chosen in such a way that it does not collide names in use
and names the user (or other third-party tools) will pick in the
future.

I (or others) may come up with other things that must be named and
name collisions must be avoided.  Even though I already said that I
didn't think the "suggestions to avoid name collisions" given by the
RFC PATCH are well done, I do think it is worth being aware of the
problem space, and enumerating what kind of names are shared and
limited resource is the first step to become so.

Thanks.