Why 'hg mv' (mercurial) doesn't move a file's history by default?

Question

I know how to do it, I just can\'t understand why hg mv doesn\'t move the file\'s history as well by default.

It really seems silly to be obligated me t

Answer 1

You don't know how to do it. hg log --follow affects how the log is displayed, not how the actual move is done. By default, the history of the filename is displayed. --follow follows renames and copies. This fits with how Mercurial is internally implemented.

There is no reason whatsoever to run hg log --follow before hg mv.

Answer 2

The answer of @xantos is now dated. The proper way to update the hgrc file is:

[alias]
log = log -f

Answer 3

You can can change the default behaviour of log: in your ~/.hgrc (or somewhere/Mercurial.ini), add

[alias] 
log = log -f 

I've read the appearance of the log is for speed reason. Move isn't truly a "first level" operation in Mercurial. It's a copy + delete (this compared to Bazaar where the move/rename is a "first level" operation but that doesn't have a copy with history preservation).