diff --git a/doc/devblog/day_244__relative_paths.mdwn b/doc/devblog/day_244__relative_paths.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..f631dbc8fb --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/devblog/day_244__relative_paths.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,14 @@ +git-annex internally uses all absolute paths all the time. +For a couple of reasons, I'd like it to use relative paths. +The best reason is, it would let a repository be moved while git-annex was +running, without breaking. A lesser reason is that Windows has some +crazy small limit on the length of a path (260 bytes?!), and using relative +paths would avoid hitting it so often. + +I tried to do this today, in a `relativepaths` branch. I eventually got the +test suite to pass, but I am very unsure about this change. A lot of random +assumptions broke, and the test suite won't catch them all. In a few +places, git-annex commands do change the current directory, and that +will break with relative paths. + +A frustrating day.