diff --git a/doc/bugs/Changing_sync_to_include_content_breaks_UX/comment_17_d60adea3f0c0030a403c33c57f27abda._comment b/doc/bugs/Changing_sync_to_include_content_breaks_UX/comment_17_d60adea3f0c0030a403c33c57f27abda._comment new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..61bbf12ed9 --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/bugs/Changing_sync_to_include_content_breaks_UX/comment_17_d60adea3f0c0030a403c33c57f27abda._comment @@ -0,0 +1,24 @@ +[[!comment format=mdwn + username="ewen" + avatar="http://cdn.libravatar.org/avatar/605b2981cb52b4af268455dee7a4f64e" + subject="unspecified default preferred content = present" + date="2023-07-17T00:50:09Z" + content=""" +I would also be in favour of changing the default preferred content expression to be \"present\" at the same time as `sync` was changed to automatically sync content as well as metadata. The effective user experience of a user with the existing default out of box configuration would be basically equivalent (now: `sync` does not sync content by default; then: `sync` will sync content if a policy to indicate desired content is set, but the default policy is \"whatever is here is correct\"). + +If that change were made (default preferred content expression is \"present\") then: + +* I think the current warning on `sync` without `--no-content` could be removed (as the effective default change from the historical defaults is small) + +* There should probably be a warning on `git annex sync` *with* a preferred content policy explicitly set (*other than* `present`, the new default), that the `sync` without `--no-content` will \"soon\" automatically include that preferred content + +* There should probably be a warning on `git annex sync --content` where there is no preferred content policy explicitly set, that the default preferred content policy is changing, and the user should set an explicit one + +That should result in \"I do everything manually\" users (who haven't set a preferred content policy, or set it to `present`) having basically \"no effective change\". And the special cases of users (relying on the default `sync` not including their preferred content policy; relying on the existing default preferred content policy to work with `git annex sync --content`) get a reminder they'll need a smaller tweak to their config. + +I'd also be fine if *new* git annexes (ie `git annex init` after new release) were to set an explicit preferred content policy to the current default (just leaving \"no content policy set\" as the implied `present` suggested above). So new annexes would still get the \"gets everything by default\" behaviour that it seems some users want. (I do *not* want everything by default as almost always I use annexes for content that is too large to keep on my laptop/desktop.) + +Thanks for considering reducing the size of the UX change here. + +Ewen +"""]]