diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 18a7295e6c..afd0876218 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ git-update-index
 git-update-ref
 git-update-server-info
 git-upload-pack
+git-upload-tar
 git-var
 git-verify-pack
 git-verify-tag
diff --git a/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt b/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt
index 504eb1b16a..5e9cbf875d 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-cat-file.txt
@@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ git-cat-file - Provide content or type information for repository objects
 
 SYNOPSIS
 --------
-'git-cat-file' [-t | -s | -e | <type>] <object>
+'git-cat-file' [-t | -s | -e | -p | <type>] <object>
 
 DESCRIPTION
 -----------
 Provides content or type of objects in the repository. The type
-is required unless '-t' is used to find the object type,
+is required unless '-t' or '-p' is used to find the object type,
 or '-s' is used to find the object size.
 
 OPTIONS
@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ OPTIONS
 	Suppress all output; instead exit with zero status if <object>
 	exists and is a valid object.
 
+-p::
+	Pretty-print the contents of <object> based on its type.
+
 <type>::
 	Typically this matches the real type of <object> but asking
 	for a type that can trivially be dereferenced from the given
@@ -49,6 +52,8 @@ If '-s' is specified, the size of the <object> in bytes.
 
 If '-e' is specified, no output.
 
+If '-p' is specified, the contents of <object> are pretty-printed.
+
 Otherwise the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the <object> will
 be returned.
 
diff --git a/fetch-pack.c b/fetch-pack.c
index 8daa93d024..8371348556 100644
--- a/fetch-pack.c
+++ b/fetch-pack.c
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ static const char *exec = "git-upload-pack";
 #define SEEN		(1U << 3)
 #define POPPED		(1U << 4)
 
+/*
+ * After sending this many "have"s if we do not get any new ACK , we
+ * give up traversing our history.
+ */
+#define MAX_IN_VAIN 256
+
 static struct commit_list *rev_list = NULL;
 static int non_common_revs = 0, multi_ack = 0, use_thin_pack = 0;
 
@@ -134,6 +140,8 @@ static int find_common(int fd[2], unsigned char *result_sha1,
 	int fetching;
 	int count = 0, flushes = 0, retval;
 	const unsigned char *sha1;
+	unsigned in_vain = 0;
+	int got_continue = 0;
 
 	for_each_ref(rev_list_insert_ref);
 
@@ -172,6 +180,7 @@ static int find_common(int fd[2], unsigned char *result_sha1,
 		packet_write(fd[1], "have %s\n", sha1_to_hex(sha1));
 		if (verbose)
 			fprintf(stderr, "have %s\n", sha1_to_hex(sha1));
+		in_vain++;
 		if (!(31 & ++count)) {
 			int ack;
 
@@ -200,9 +209,16 @@ static int find_common(int fd[2], unsigned char *result_sha1,
 						lookup_commit(result_sha1);
 					mark_common(commit, 0, 1);
 					retval = 0;
+					in_vain = 0;
+					got_continue = 1;
 				}
 			} while (ack);
 			flushes--;
+			if (got_continue && MAX_IN_VAIN < in_vain) {
+				if (verbose)
+					fprintf(stderr, "giving up\n");
+				break; /* give up */
+			}
 		}
 	}
 done:
diff --git a/git-ls-remote.sh b/git-ls-remote.sh
index b6882a90c1..2fdcaf7886 100755
--- a/git-ls-remote.sh
+++ b/git-ls-remote.sh
@@ -58,11 +58,19 @@ http://* | https://* )
 	;;
 
 rsync://* )
-	mkdir $tmpdir
+	mkdir $tmpdir &&
+	rsync -rlq "$peek_repo/HEAD" $tmpdir &&
 	rsync -rq "$peek_repo/refs" $tmpdir || {
 		echo "failed	slurping"
 		exit
 	}
+	head=$(cat "$tmpdir/HEAD") &&
+	case "$head" in
+	ref:' '*)
+		head=$(expr "z$head" : 'zref: \(.*\)') &&
+		head=$(cat "$tmpdir/$head") || exit
+	esac &&
+	echo "$head	HEAD"
 	(cd $tmpdir && find refs -type f) |
 	while read path
 	do