Please explain in more detail which git commands you would currently invoke from command line as part of this procedure?

Which settings are you using now?

I'm not sure if this delay is OK. If you want to investigate in more detail, add following line to smartgit.properties:

log4j.smartgit.repository.backgroundFetch=DEBUG

restart SmartGit, wait until the delay has occurred and check log.txt for details or -- if you can't make much sense of it -- send it to us at smartgit@syntevo.com

Yes, that's how it should work.

You are right, all values are expected to be in seconds (I think it has been minutes for older versions, but this must be a longer time ago). I've fixed the docs.

Pierre, please make sure all related background-options are selected in the Preferences, then adjust following system properties:

https://www.syntevo.com/doc/display/SG/System+Properties#SystemProperties-Backgroundoperations

Please let us know here once you have found a configuration which is working fine for you.

In SmartGit, you are able to see all versions of the file by changing the View Commit. The History of current line shows you all modifications for the current line. AFAIU, this is similar as what you see in Perforce when selecting a range, but just for a single line.

DeepGit's focus is on investigating changes to a line/block as well. But it's using a different user interface concept and it's using smarter algorithms to trace back modifications.

This is already possible: just drag the view into the center of another view which you want to group together.

Implements in version 8.1 preview