fake git repositories.. how far do you go?

[Dieter Plaetinck]

for those using "fake git repositories",

From:
http://she.geek.nz/archives/546-migrating-my-homedirectory-from-one-repo-to-many.html
http://www.mail-archive.com/vcs-home@lists.madduck.net/msg00078.html
I could not really understand why one would actually _want_ multiple fake git repositories.
it seems to me that the more of them you have, the more cumbersome it gets to maintain.
the way i see it:

* 1 repository
+ easiest to maintain
+ easiest to share
- not good for files with private stuff
- on some machines, you will check out stuff you don't need
* multiple fake git repositories
- harder to maintain (you need an additional command before you can work in the repo)
- harder to share (you now have several repos)
+ better for sharing private stuff (just don't share the ones containing anything private), although not ideal (you might want to share the config files, just not the password)
+ you can avoid checking out useless (though unharmful) stuff on machines which need a minimal $HOME.

do you create additional fake git repositories for programs that might not need it? why?
$ find ~ -maxdepth 1 -type d -name '.*' | wc -l
98
--> 98 dot-directories == 98 fake git repositories?

some alternative ideas for the "private stuff" problem:
* why not create 1 git repository in which you commit your files, *except* those files containing private stuff (commit those in a separate repository, or in a separate branch which you do not push)
* and/or run only applications which can collect private stuff from a dedicated file or "password manager" (or patch your apps)

Dieter