Git changes how developers manage source code versions
October 29, 2008 —
(Page 1 of 3)
When Linus Torvalds three years ago wrote a quick mockup of a version control system for the Linux kernel project, he didn’t expect to trigger a forking revolution. But today, at Google's campus in Mountain View, Calif., Git developers gathered to work on the up-and-coming open-source distributed version control system, which is changing the way developers work.
Junio C. Hamano took over Git shortly after Torvalds made his sample code public. Hamano, now Git's maintainer, said that he was only looking for a way to contribute to Linux.
“I was between projects at work, so it was kind of slow, and at the day job we use Linux a lot," said Hamano. "I wanted to contribute back, but I don't work on kernels, so I can't contribute to the kernel community. So I thought, ‘This source code control system is something [I can do].’
“My primary focus was not about the software but about Linus [Torvalds]. I thought that his having to work on something that was not the kernel was—I don't want to say a waste—but it was something somebody else could do."
Today, the dedicated Git contributors who’ve gathered at Google show just how different their world is by admitting that they're all running Git right now on their laptops.
“It decouples the notion of checkpointing from publishing. In Subversion, those are the same thing,” said Steven Grimm, an engineer at Facebook.
Sam Vilain, a contributor from New Zealand, said Git lets developers experiment with the whole of a project, without worrying about breaking things or losing work.
“After you make a change, if you notice there's a tiny little bug with it, you can go back and change that again,” said Vilain.
With Git running locally, developers push commits whenever they feel like and can fork and experiment to their hearts’ content. Those changes won't bother anyone “until you share [them],” said Vilain. “You share at the end of the day, after a day's work, when you've gone over the code a bit more.”
Related Search Term(s): Git, open source, source control, Google
Share this link: http://sdt.bz/33018
Most Read
Latest News
Resources
SAP unveils SAP HANA platform innovations for Big Data and spatial processing
Features include smart data access and expanded cloud deployment options
|
|
|
Alteryx raises $12 million to put Big Data analytics in the hands of all business analysts
Quest founder's firm, Toba Capital, selects Alteryx as its first analytics investment
|
|
|
Google I/O kicks off
Developers get new APIs and tools, and the Go language hits version 1.1
|
|
|
Jelastic launches new version of its Java and PHP hosting platform
Jelastic today announced the launch of a new version of its ultra-scalable cloud hosting platform
|
Telerik adds back-end services to Icenium mobile tool suite
Icenium Everlive makes the suite a complete app development platform, the company says
|
|
|
CollabNet fuses CloudForge, TeamForge
New pricing structure and integration gives developers an enterprise-grade choice for dist...
|
|
|
Eclipse release train for Kepler arrives June 26
New version of Eclipse includes Stardust for business process management, and Orion 3.0 fo...
|
|
|
Google I/O kicks off
Developers get new APIs and tools, and the Go language hits version 1.1
|
IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Cloud Testing and ASQ SaaS
Demand for solutions to test applications on the cloud and for the cloud is rising signifi...
|
|
|
Get to Know the Database Decision Factors
What should you look for when choosing a relational database system? This informative arti...
|
|
|
Exploring the Database Forest
Today’s database technology landscape is more dynamic and varied than ever before. What’s...
|
|
|
Data Management Resource Guide
Today’s data is generated by more than just applications. Data is generated by trillions o...
|