A Git story: Not so fun this time (blog.brachiosoft.com)

Article summary

The article tells the story of how Git, a version control system, came to be. It started with Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, struggling to manage the growing number of contributions to the Linux kernel. Larry McVoy's BitKeeper, a proprietary version control system, was initially used, but its limitations and restrictions led to the development of Git. Git eventually became the standard tool for software engineers, replacing BitKeeper and other version control systems.

Main themes

• Version control systems
• Git history
• BitKeeper
• Open source software
• Software development
• Linux kernel

What commenters say

• Some commenters believe that BitKeeper was a good tool and that its creator, Larry McVoy, should have open-sourced it to make it more successful.
• Others argue that Git is a more powerful and flexible version control system than BitKeeper and has become the de facto standard in the industry.
• There is a debate about whether Git will be replaced by a new version control system, with some arguing that its widespread adoption and integration into existing infrastructure make it unlikely to be replaced.
• Some commenters think that Git has shortcomings, such as not handling binary files well, and that a successor project could address these issues and potentially replace Git.
• Others argue that Git is not designed to handle binary files and that other tools, such as Plastic-SCM, are more suitable for that purpose.
• There is a discussion about the importance of open-source software and the potential risks of relying on proprietary tools, with some arguing that open-source alternatives are essential for the software development community.
• Some commenters believe that the concept of a single, universal version control system is flawed, and that different tools are better suited for different use cases and workflows.