rpj...@crashcourse.ca writes: > at the other end, users are certainly welcome to add extra patterns > to be ignored, based purely on the way they work -- perhaps based on > their choice of editor, they might want to exclude *.swp files, or > if working on a Mac, ignore .DS_Store, and so on, using a > core.excludesFile setting.
This is primarily why .git/info/exclude exists. A user who does not use the same set of tools to work on different projects may not be able to use ~/.gitconfig with core.excludesFile pointing at a single place that applies to _all_ repositories the user touches. Also, core.excludesFile came a lot later than in-project and in-repository exclude list, IIRC. Don't waste time by seeking a "compelling" reason. A mere "this is the most expedite way to gain convenience" back when something was introduced could be an answer, and it is way too late to complain about such a choice anyway.
