@@ -302,20 +302,27 @@ sudo PIP_DOWNLOAD_CACHE=/var/cache/pip pip install `cat $FILES/pips/*`

 # be owned by the installation user, we create the directory and change the

 # ownership to the proper user.

 function git_clone {

-    # if there is an existing checkout, move it out of the way

-    if [[ "$RECLONE" == "yes" ]]; then

-        # FIXME(ja): if we were smarter we could speed up RECLONE by

-        # using the old git repo as the basis of our new clone...

-        if [ -d $2 ]; then

-            mv $2 /tmp/stack.`date +%s`

-        fi

-    fi

+    # do a full clone only if the directory doesn't exist

     if [ ! -d $2 ]; then

         git clone $1 $2

         cd $2

         # This checkout syntax works for both branches and tags

         git checkout $3

+    elif [[ "$RECLONE" == "yes" ]]; then

+        # if it does exist then simulate what clone does if asked to RECLONE

+        cd $2

+        # set the url to pull from and fetch

+        git remote set-url origin $1

+        git fetch origin

+        # if we don't delete the local content, then our system has pyc files 

+        # from the previous branch leading to breakage (due to the py files 

+        # having older timestamps than our pyc, so python thinks the pyc files

+        # are correct using them)

+        rm -rf *

+        git checkout -f origin/$3

+        git branch -D $3

+        git checkout -b $3

     fi

 }