diff --git a/Documentation/Makefile b/Documentation/Makefile
index e19c86f19c..afdecc1a7f 100644
--- a/Documentation/Makefile
+++ b/Documentation/Makefile
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ MAN7_TXT=git.txt
 
 DOC_HTML=$(patsubst %.txt,%.html,$(MAN1_TXT) $(MAN7_TXT))
 
-ARTICLES = tutorial cvs-migration diffcore howto-index
+ARTICLES = tutorial
+ARTICLES += cvs-migration
+ARTICLES += diffcore
+ARTICLES += howto-index
+ARTICLES += repository-layout
 # with their own formatting rules.
 SP_ARTICLES = glossary howto/revert-branch-rebase
 
diff --git a/Documentation/git.txt b/Documentation/git.txt
index dba90358cd..2f8a6479e1 100644
--- a/Documentation/git.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git.txt
@@ -412,24 +412,13 @@ HEAD::
 
 File/Directory Structure
 ------------------------
-The git-core manipulates the following areas in the directory:
 
- .git/	       The base (overridden with $GIT_DIR)
-   objects/    The object base (overridden with $GIT_OBJECT_DIRECTORY)
-     ??/       'First 2 chars of object' directories.
-     pack/     Packed archives.
-
-   refs/       Directories containing symbolic names for objects
-	       (each file contains the hex SHA1 + newline)
-     heads/    Commits which are heads of various sorts
-     tags/     Tags, by the tag name (or some local renaming of it)
-     */        Any other subdirectory of refs/ can be used to store
-	       files similar to what are under refs/heads/.
-   HEAD        Symlink to refs/heads/<current-branch-name>
+Please see link:repository-layout.html[repository layout] document.
 
 Higher level SCMs may provide and manage additional information in the
 GIT_DIR.
 
+
 Terminology
 -----------
 Please see link:glossary.html[glossary] document.
diff --git a/Documentation/repository-layout.txt b/Documentation/repository-layout.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..297a47bdf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Documentation/repository-layout.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+GIT repository layout
+=====================
+v0.99.5, Sep 2005
+
+You may find these things in your git repository (`.git`
+directory for a repository associated with your working tree, or
+`'project'.git` directory for a public 'naked' repository).
+
+objects::
+	Object store associated with this repository.  Usually
+	an object store is self sufficient (i.e. all the objects
+	that are referred to by an object found in it are also
+	found in it), but there are couple of ways to violate
+	it.
++
+. You could populate the repository by running a commit walker
+without `-a` option.  Depending on which options are given, you
+could have only commit objects without associated blobs and
+trees this way, for example.  A repository with this kind of
+incomplete object store is not suitable to be published to the
+outside world but sometimes useful for private repository.
+. You can be using `objects/info/alternates` mechanism, or
+`$GIT_ALTERNATE_OBJECT_DIRECTORIES` mechanism to 'borrow'
+objects from other object stores.  A repository with this kind
+of incompete object store is not suitable to be published for
+use with dumb transports but otherwise is OK as long as
+`objects/info/alternates` points at the right object stores
+it borrows from.
+
+objects/[0-9a-f][0-9a-f]::
+	Traditionally, each object is stored in its own file.
+	They are split into 256 subdirectories using the first
+	two letters from its object name to keep the number of
+	directory entries `objects` directory itself needs to
+	hold.  Objects found here are often called 'unpacked'
+	objects.
+
+objects/pack::
+	Packs (files that store many object in compressed form,
+	along with index files to allow them to be randomly
+	accessed) are found in this directory.
+
+objects/info::
+	Additional information about the object store is
+	recorded in this directory.
+
+objects/info/packs::
+	This file is to help dumb transports discover what packs
+	are available in this object store.  Whenever a pack is
+	added or removed, `git update-server-info` should be run
+	to keep this file up-to-date if the repository is
+	published for dumb transports.  `git repack` does this
+	by default.
+
+objects/info/alternates::
+	This file records absolute filesystem paths of alternate
+	object stores that this object store borrows objects
+	from, one pathname per line.
+
+refs::
+	References are stored in subdirectories of this
+	directory.  The `git prune` command knows to keep
+	objects reachable from refs found in this directory and
+	its subdirectories.
+
+refs/heads/`name`::
+	records tip-of-the-tree commit objects of branch `name`
+
+refs/tags/`name`::
+	records any object name (not necessarily a commit
+	object, or a tag object that points at a commit object).
+
+HEAD::
+	A symlink of the form `refs/heads/'name'` to point at
+	the current branch, if exists.  It does not mean much if
+	the repository is not associated with any working tree
+	(i.e. 'naked' repository), but a valid git repository
+	*must* have such a symlink here.  It is legal if the
+	named branch 'name' does not (yet) exist.
+
+branches::
+	A slightly deprecated way to store shorthands to be used
+	to specify URL to `git fetch`, `git pull` and `git push`
+	commands is to store a file in `branches/'name'` and
+	give 'name' to these commands in place of 'repository'
+	argument.
+
+hooks::
+	Hooks are customization scripts used by various git
+	commands.  A handful of sample hooks are installed when
+	`git init-db` is run, but all of them are disabled by
+	default.  To enable, they need to be made executable.
+
+index::
+	The current index file for the repository.  It is
+	usually not found in a naked repository.
+
+info::
+	Additional information about the repository is recorded
+	in this directory.
+
+info/refs::
+	This file is to help dumb transports to discover what
+	refs are available in this repository.  Whenever you
+	create/delete a new branch or a new tag, `git
+	update-server-info` should be run to keep this file
+	up-to-date if the repository is published for dumb
+	transports.  The `git-receive-pack` command, which is
+	run on a remote repository when you `git push` into it,
+	runs `hooks/update` hook to help you achive this.
+
+info/grafts::
+	This file records fake commit ancestry information, to
+	pretend the set of parents a commit has is different
+	from how the commit was actually created.  One record
+	per line describes a commit and its fake parents by
+	listing their 40-byte hexadecimal object names separated
+	by a space and terminated by a newline.
+
+info/rev-cache::
+	No higher-level tool currently takes advantage of this
+	file, but it is generated when `git update-server-info`
+	is run.  It records the commit ancestry information of
+	the commits in this repository in a concise binary
+	format, and can be read with `git-show-rev-cache`.
+
+info/exclude::
+	This file, by convention among Porcelains, stores the
+	exclude pattern list.  `git status` looks at it, but
+	otherwise it is not looked at by any of the core GIT
+	commands.
+
+remotes::
+	Stoers shorthands to be used to give URL and default
+	refnames to interact with remote repository to `git
+	fetch`, `git pull` and `git push` commands.
diff --git a/Documentation/tutorial.txt b/Documentation/tutorial.txt
index 1ed8038f79..8d999b02de 100644
--- a/Documentation/tutorial.txt
+++ b/Documentation/tutorial.txt
@@ -93,6 +93,11 @@ expect to see a number of 41-byte files containing these
 references in these `refs` subdirectories when you actually start
 populating your tree.
 
+[NOTE]
+An advanced user may want to take a look at the
+link:repository-layout.html[repository layout] document
+after finishing this tutorial.
+
 You have now created your first git repository. Of course, since it's
 empty, that's not very useful, so let's start populating it with data.
 
@@ -1098,6 +1103,12 @@ your login shell is `bash`, only `.bashrc` is read and not
 `.bash_profile`. As a workaround, make sure `.bashrc` sets up
 `$PATH` so that you can run `git-receive-pack` program.
 
+[NOTE]
+If you plan to publish this repository to be accessed over http,
+you should do `chmod +x my-git.git/hooks/post-update` at this
+point.  This makes sure that every time you push into this
+repository, `git-update-server-info` is run.
+
 Your "public repository" is now ready to accept your changes.
 Come back to the machine you have your private repository. From
 there, run this command:
diff --git a/git-checkout-script b/git-checkout-script
index 9feff149ac..b31ded716d 100755
--- a/git-checkout-script
+++ b/git-checkout-script
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ while [ "$#" != "0" ]; do
 		fi
 		;;
     esac
-    i=$(($i+1))
 done
 [ -z "$new" ] && new=$old
 
diff --git a/git-fetch-script b/git-fetch-script
index dd94edeb38..f9f90b6db1 100755
--- a/git-fetch-script
+++ b/git-fetch-script
@@ -55,21 +55,41 @@ append_fetch_head () {
     remote_nick_="$4"
     local_name_="$5"
 
+    # remote-nick is the URL given on the command line (or a shorthand)
+    # remote-name is the $GIT_DIR relative refs/ path we computed
+    # for this refspec.
+    case "$remote_name_" in
+    HEAD)
+	note_= ;;
+    refs/heads/*)
+	note_="$(expr "$remote_name_" : 'refs/heads/\(.*\)')"
+	note_="branch '$note_' of " ;;
+    refs/tags/*)
+	note_="$(expr "$remote_name_" : 'refs/tags/\(.*\)')"
+	note_="tag '$note_' of " ;;
+    *)
+	note_="$remote_name of " ;;
+    esac
+    remote_1_=$(expr "$remote_" : '\(.*\)\.git/*$') &&
+	remote_="$remote_1_"
+    note_="$note_$remote_"
+
     # 2.6.11-tree tag would not be happy to be fed to resolve.
     if git-cat-file commit "$head_" >/dev/null 2>&1
     then
 	headc_=$(git-rev-parse --verify "$head_^0") || exit
-	note_="$headc_	$remote_name_ from $remote_nick_"
-	echo "$note_" >>$GIT_DIR/FETCH_HEAD
-	echo >&2 "* committish: $note_"
+	echo "$headc_	$note_" >>$GIT_DIR/FETCH_HEAD
+	echo >&2 "* committish: $head_"
+	echo >&2 "  $note_"
     else
-	echo >&2 "* non-commit: $note_"
+	echo >&2 "* non-commit: $head_"
+	echo >&2 "  $note_"
     fi
     if test "$local_name_" != ""
     then
 	# We are storing the head locally.  Make sure that it is
 	# a fast forward (aka "reverse push").
-	fast_forward_local "$local_name_" "$head_" "$remote_" "$remote_name_"
+	fast_forward_local "$local_name_" "$head_" "$note_"
     fi
 }
 
@@ -80,11 +100,9 @@ fast_forward_local () {
 	# is no way to guarantee "fast-forward" anyway.
 	if test -f "$GIT_DIR/$1"
 	then
-		echo >&2 "* $1: updating with $4"
-		echo >&2 "  from $3."
+		echo >&2 "* $1: updating with $3"
 	else
-		echo >&2 "* $1: storing $4"
-		echo >&2 "  from $3."
+		echo >&2 "* $1: storing $3"
 	fi
 	echo "$2" >"$GIT_DIR/$1" ;;
 
@@ -97,31 +115,28 @@ fast_forward_local () {
 	    mb=$(git-merge-base "$local" "$2") &&
 	    case "$2,$mb" in
 	    $local,*)
-		echo >&2 "* $1: same as $4"
-		echo >&2 "  from $3"
+		echo >&2 "* $1: same as $3"
 		;;
 	    *,$local)
-		echo >&2 "* $1: fast forward to $4"
-		echo >&2 "  from $3"
+		echo >&2 "* $1: fast forward to $3"
 		;;
 	    *)
 		false
 		;;
 	    esac || {
-		echo >&2 "* $1: does not fast forward to $4"
+		echo >&2 "* $1: does not fast forward to $3;"
 		case "$force,$single_force" in
 		t,* | *,t)
-			echo >&2 "  from $3; forcing update."
+			echo >&2 "  forcing update."
 			;;
 		*)
 			mv "$GIT_DIR/$1.lock" "$GIT_DIR/$1.remote"
-			echo >&2 "  from $3; leaving it in '$1.remote'"
+			echo >&2 "  leaving it in '$1.remote'"
 			;;
 		esac
 	    }
 	else
-		echo >&2 "* $1: storing $4"
-		echo >&2 "  from $3."
+		echo >&2 "* $1: storing $3"
 	fi
 	test -f "$GIT_DIR/$1.lock" &&
 	    mv "$GIT_DIR/$1.lock" "$GIT_DIR/$1"
diff --git a/git-resolve-script b/git-resolve-script
index 7c0e3d8aa8..000cbb85e3 100755
--- a/git-resolve-script
+++ b/git-resolve-script
@@ -36,19 +36,21 @@ if [ -z "$common" ]; then
 	die "Unable to find common commit between" $merge $head
 fi
 
-if [ "$common" == "$merge" ]; then
+case "$common" in
+"$merge")
 	echo "Already up-to-date. Yeeah!"
 	dropheads
 	exit 0
-fi
-if [ "$common" == "$head" ]; then
+	;;
+"$head")
 	echo "Updating from $head to $merge."
 	git-read-tree -u -m $head $merge || exit 1
 	echo $merge > "$GIT_DIR"/HEAD
 	git-diff-tree -p $head $merge | git-apply --stat
 	dropheads
 	exit 0
-fi
+	;;
+esac
 
 # Find an optimum merge base if there are more than one candidates.
 LF='
diff --git a/git-status-script b/git-status-script
index 2b029545de..ee8f7061ea 100755
--- a/git-status-script
+++ b/git-status-script
@@ -77,9 +77,9 @@ then
 #'
 fi
 
-if [ "$committable" == "0" ]
-then
+case "$committable" in
+0)
 	echo "nothing to commit"
 	exit 1
-fi
+esac
 exit 0
diff --git a/templates/hooks--update b/templates/hooks--update
index 0726975367..3f38b82a47 100644
--- a/templates/hooks--update
+++ b/templates/hooks--update
@@ -16,10 +16,14 @@ then
 	git-rev-list --pretty "$3"
 else
 	$base=$(git-merge-base "$2" "$3")
-	if [ $base == "$2" ]; then
+	case "$base" in
+	"$2")
 		echo "New commits:"
-	else
+		;;
+	*)
 		echo "Rebased ref, commits from common ancestor:"
+		;;
+	esac
 fi
 git-rev-list --pretty "$3" "^$base"
 fi |
diff --git a/update-cache.c b/update-cache.c
index 63815ed658..3d1fd2be75 100644
--- a/update-cache.c
+++ b/update-cache.c
@@ -53,7 +53,11 @@ static int add_file_to_cache(char *path)
 			if (allow_remove)
 				return remove_file_from_cache(path);
 		}
-		return error("open(\"%s\"): %s", path, strerror(errno));
+		if (0 == status)
+			return error("%s: is a directory", path);
+		else
+			return error("lstat(\"%s\"): %s", path,
+				     strerror(errno));
 	}
 	namelen = strlen(path);
 	size = cache_entry_size(namelen);
@@ -393,7 +397,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 			continue;
 		}
 		if (add_file_to_cache(path))
-			die("Unable to add %s to database", path);
+			die("Unable to add %s to database; maybe you want to use --add option?", path);
 	}
 	if (write_cache(newfd, active_cache, active_nr) ||
 	    commit_index_file(&cache_file))