Without using any external tools. You've got 5 minutes. Should be plenty of time to delete 1 file and/or figure out how to do that simple task right?
Good luck.
Delete every mention of a single file in all history of work of a large team over multiple years.
How does that sound trivial?
So I would dare to say that your example is not entirely a good one? In my 10 years of using Git, in both privately and professional this has happened exactly zero times. But that's just me.
To use an somewhat odd analogy, it would be akin to asking the average car driver to replace the crown wheel in the differential. I'm certain everyone can do it with enough youtube tutorials and practice, but.. I digress.
But actually it makes sense, Git is like a car, once they understand what basic problem it tries to solve and learn the commands to push, pull, commit, rebase and merge, it's enough as learning navigating traffic and use the car from point a to point b.
So I believe git is easy enough for normal, but of course when situations like your example occurs it's harder (but understandable considering what problem the tool is trying to solve).
I am not being condescending here, it's my real world experience that tells me that very few people have issues with git, and looking at how many use github/gitlab/gitea/etc everyday shows the same.
Unless you mean some intentionally weird scenario, where you want to just delete the file to prevent it from being accessible period. But that's (afaik) against the whole concept of git, and so verry much outside the intended use.
Do I understand your example?
You could say "well don't commit secrets files" but that doesn't immediately solve the problem.
How about: using the right tool for the job?
In this case, the right tool would be “git filter-repo”.
"Without external tool" Why? Git defines a data structure on disk and not a monopoly on imolementation. The right tool for this job would be BFG.
git-filter-branch is the only mass-rewrite helper tool that I know of in git(1) and it's deprecated.
It’s safer, faster, easier to use.
Oh, and not built-in.
But you're right. filter-repo is a great tool. You can even use pleasant Python "callbacks" instead of a hodge-podge of env variables and shell snippets.
If a point is to be made that confirms OP: removing a file completely isn’t trivial, and thinking one did when one didn’t it is too easy.
Who recommended it?
I’m not saying they recommend it, as the question drives a rhetorical point. But it’s worth mentioning “git filter-repo” as a solution you will not stumble into as easily as the more difficult, brittle and slow “git filter-branch”.