Conversation

Notices

1. Embed this notice
   Julia Evans (b0rk@social.jvns.ca)'s status on Saturday, 17-Feb-2024 01:15:55 JST Julia Evans

   does anyone know where the name HEAD for the current revision came from / what the rationale was? I think that git copied it from Subversion/CVS, but it seems like such a weird name and I imagine at some point in history it must have made sense. Would especially love references if you have them.

   (please do not try to explain to me why you think HEAD is a good name today, I'm only interested in learning the history)

   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Saturday, 17-Feb-2024 01:15:54 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     @b0rk Much earlier than that. The granddaddy of them all, RCS, called the current version the "head", and that dates from 1982.

     I'm not sure why it doesn't make sense? The end of lots of things is called the head. Head of navigation for as far as you can go on a river, for example. Headquarters for the top facility of an organisation. It's just the thing in front.

   • Embed this notice
     goatsarah (goatsarah@thegoatery.dyndns.org)'s status on Saturday, 17-Feb-2024 01:21:41 JST goatsarah

     in reply to

     • Björn Gohla
     @6d03 @b0rk I gave you the history. No time for miserable cunts. Toodles.
   • Embed this notice
     Björn Gohla (6d03@mathstodon.xyz)'s status on Saturday, 17-Feb-2024 01:21:42 JST Björn Gohla

     in reply to

     • goatsarah

     @goatsarah @b0rk Where they thinking of linked lists maybe?