git objects seen as VAX COFF by 'file' utility

[Michael V. Antosha]

To reproduce the bug one could run, for example, such (or similar) command:

    # (T='mivael-temp'; cd /dev/shm/ && rm -rf "$T" && mkdir "$T" && cd "$T" && git init && git commit --allow-empty -m'Empty commit.' && file $(find .git/objects/ -type f))

Example of possible actual result (note "VAX COFF executable" in the end):

    Initialized empty Git repository in /run/shm/mivael-temp/.git/
    [master (root-commit) bec7d66] Empty commit.
    .git/objects/be/c7d6665f901c155bbae1f3ea2895283dd18df4: VAX COFF executable
    .git/objects/4b/825dc642cb6eb9a060e54bf8d69288fbee4904: VAX COFF executable

Expected result:

 - git object files recognized correctly.
 - no "VAX COFF" in 'file' command output when using it on git object files.

Additional info:

There was (is?) a related bug (#509942) in Debian.
See http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=509942
According to the link, the bug was fixed in 2009: "Fixed in version file/5.01-1".

However, it exist, at least, in the 5.09-2 version of 'file' package.

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 12.04.2 LTS
Release: 12.04
$
$ apt-cache policy file
file:
  Installed: 5.09-2
  Candidate: 5.09-2
  Version table:
 *** 5.09-2 0
        500 http://ua.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ precise/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
$

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: file 5.09-2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-40.64-generic 3.2.40
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-40-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu17.2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Apr 29 11:41:43 2013
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
MarkForUpload: True
SourcePackage: file
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-10-15 (196 days ago)

[Michael V. Antosha (mivael)]

There exists a more recent issue which confirms the problem for version 5.11-2 in Debian (debbugs #697846).