On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 9:09 PM, Michael Reynolds <michael.reynolds@gmail.com> wrote:
Is there some particular reason to switch from subversion to git other than Linus making it? I can't even fathom how having an entire copy of the the repository is useful, except for the purposes of an administrative backup.
There are several reasons - and one of them IS having multiple remote copies of the repository. In the past, we've had problems getting the resources together to maintain a constant central repository for dalnet code. Now I'm supporting it out of my own pocket, but in the midst of that mess, getting the repository back has often been difficult. Suddenly a server that was sponsored gets simply unplugged, and getting our data off of that machine has been difficult. This avoids the whole problem - and also doesn't make me personally responsible for the entire history of Bahamut's source tree (since I'm now providing the server for it). But that reason alone wouldn't be a good reason to switch. I started using git about a year ago, and it changes how you think about source code management and version control. I like it for a few big reasons: - Consistent history. Everything is always a progression - each change is small and identifiable, and you can -alter- history. - Ability to do big changes in multiple commits without affecting anyone else. I used to commit half-finished code all the time. Otherwise I'd be doing an absolutely massive commit later. - Really really fast. Branches are cheap, and this changes how you work again. At the end of the day, it has the same basic features as subversion, and a whole bunch more that make things so much easier. It doesn't force you to change your methods, but it -supports- a superior model of doing things. -epi