Re: A modest proposal -- We need a patch penguin

[Larry McVoy]

> Er, not the pristine tree, the linuxppc_2_4 tree, sorry.  I'll try
> again.  One of the problems we hit frequently is that we have to move
> files from linuxppc_2_4_devel into linuxppc_2_4, once they prove stable.
> But just creating a normal patch, or cp'ing the files means when we pull
> linuxppc_2_4 back into linuxppc_2_4_devel we get a file conflict, and
> have to move one of the files (the previously existing one) into the
> deleted dir.  How do we cleanly move just a few files from a child tree
> into the parent?  I think this is a lot like what would happen, if Linus
> used BK and we wanted to send him support for some platforms, but not
> all of the other changes we have.

BitKeeper is like a distributed, replicated file system with atomic changes.
That has certain advantages, much like a database.  What you are asking 
violates the database rules, if I understand you properly.  Are you asking
to move part of a changeset?  That's a no no, that's like moving the 
increment to your bank account without the decrement to mine; the banks
frown on that :-)

Or are you asking more about the out of order stuff, i.e., whole changesets
are fine but not all of them.