__git_ps1 extremely slow in kernel tree

Question

$ time __git_ps1
((v2.6.33.4))
real    0m1.467s
user    0m0.864s
sys  0m0.564s

It\'s making my prompt unusable; on the other hand, though, it\'s too us

Answer 1

It turned out to be a combination of two things:

I was using

export GIT_PS1_SHOWDIRTYSTATE=true
export GIT_PS1_SHOWUNTRACKEDFILES=true

by default. which proved to be unusable on a tree the size of the kernel. Removing these options removes a bit of nice functionality from __git_ps1, but at least it returns instantly now. (Useful lesson - try out stuff from a freshly created user account before anything else.)

Also, the hard disk on my work machine is just plain slow, so that wasn't a git problem per se; it's just the first time it really obtruded itself upon my notice.