How to develop against linux-next

What tree should be cloned? Does one clone linux-next and then configure it as a remote?

What's the reason for "git branch base" prior to configuring the remotes?

Reading the help files is confusing, I belief I'll only learn via experience.
What I did was "get init" and then configured the remotes. Upon configuring the -next remote, I got this lovely response from GIT.

# git2.kernel.org
[pid 21426] connect(4, {sa_family=AF_INET, sin_port=htons(9418), sin_addr=inet_addr("149.20.4.72")}, 16) = 0
[pid 21426] dup(4) = 5
[pid 21426] write(5, "0055git-upload-pack /pub/scm/lin"..., 85) = 85
[pid 21426] read(4, "", 4) = 0
[pid 21426] write(2, "fatal: The remote end hung up unexpectedly
"..., 43) = 43

Must have sent null byte first?