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What's in Git 2.56
The Git 2.56 release contains something over 700 non-merge commits; it brings a number of nice improvements, but will not fundamentally change the Git experience for most users. One feature that offers some potential in that regard is the addition of the drop subcommand to the (still experimental) git history toolbox:
$ git history drop commit-id
This command will cause the identified commit to be removed from the history of the current branch, replaying all commits that were added after it. It offers an easier way of removing an offending commit. Unfortunately, it still refuses to work if the history contains merge commits, making it unusable for many (or most) repositories.
The git status command will now suggest a git pull command to update a branch that is behind the branch it tracks. It still, though, will say that a branch is "up to date" even if it lags behind an (unfetched) remote tracking branch.
The git refs command exists to manipulate references at a low level; in 2.56, it has gained a number of new subcommands. Those commands, create , delete , update , and rename , perhaps surprisingly for Git, do exactly what their names suggest they would.
There are a number of minor usability tweaks. The new --delete-merged option to git branch will remove local branches that have been merged into their remote tracking branches. An attempt to delete a branch with git branch -d will fail, with a useful message, if that branch is being used for bisection. Attempts to lock the configuration file will be retried on failures, avoiding annoyance when multiple commands try to modify the file at once. git add has a new --resolved option that only adds files with merge conflicts that have been resolved.
Beyond that, there is the usual long list of bug fixes, refactorings, and performance improvements. All told, 2.56 looks like a solid release, but it also shows the signs of a project that is holding back much of its more significant work for the future. That leads to the question of what comes next.
After 2.56?
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