11 Another for Git

I’ve got to say that I’m totally digging git.

It took me a while to get into but once you’ve got the hang of it, it beats the pants off subversion.

posted at 09:07 am on July 2, 2008 by Jim Neath

12 More tools you need

Do you ever wish you could search your entire SVN repository using just a web browser?

Atlassian create FishEye for not only making your svn repository easily viewable, but also enables full text search across your entire repository.

To make Code Review easier for distributed teams have a look at Crucible as well. It is an extension to FishEye which allows Code Review to get done with a minimum of fuss.

posted at 09:21 am on July 2, 2008 by Nick Pellow

13 Let's Be Realistic

If you want to use version control like this, i.e. for a wide range of people with varying skill level, then you need an option which is user-friendly, file-friendly and windows-friendly.

I personally use Bazaar for my own work. I was sold on it when I asked a colleague to install it, and on checking with her half an hour later she had it installed (on windows) and all her files checked in to a repository. She had never used version control before, and she had previously spent half a day unsuccessfully trying to install Subversion. Also, Bazaar has some really unique features like an attractive 1-page quick start card (which really is all you need to get started) and a website that actually makes you feel welcome.

Subversion has a lot of problems. I’m not getting into the centralized/decentralized debate, but amongst other things Subversion wreaks havoc with bundle files by littering them with .svn directories everywhere. What Subversion does have, which in this scenario is invaluable, is a wide range of GUI tools. I hadn’t heard about Versions before, that looks very useful.

As far as Git is concerned, it is a completely unrealistic option for non-programmers. The community is positively hostile to anyone who doesn’t immediately acknowledge the absolute superiority of Git, and that is never a healthy attitude.

As a developer who uses and contributes to open source software, I have to be conversant with a wide range of version control tools. I use Subversion/SVK, Git and Mercurial on a weekly if not daily basis. I would like to see the GUI tool market and the version control hosting market move towards recognizing this reality, and be vcs-agnostic on the back end.

For now, I have to admit that the GUI support makes Subversion the most realistic option for this sort of usage, with a user-friendly decentralized system like Bazaar a close second if your designers are willing to learn to use the command line.

If you don’t find an option which works for everyone, you can always implement version control yourself and just check in the files which suppliers/designers send to you.

posted at 11:15 am on July 2, 2008 by Ana Nelson

14 +1 for GIT

Git crushes subversion if you’re really using something for version control and not just ‘sharing’. The ability to branch/fork/merge with git has been made so trivial that i actually do it now. Anyone ever stuck in subversion merge hell will testify to what a godsend this is. Seriously, if you’re just starting in to this, go for GIT. Check out github if you want an easy way to get a hosted repo online.

If you want to use svn as the cloud repository, you can still use git locally to manage changesets (i recommend).

SVN is a fantastic bit of software, don’t get me wrong. It has been quite a workhorse and made many an project easier to manage. However, it is time to pass the baton.

posted at 01:47 pm on July 2, 2008 by Michael Twentyman

16 It also adds openness

I agree that introducing version control system is a great improvement for you work. I recently even made a step forward and let my client access the repository. He can see the changelog, the commit comments and the dates — I think this transparency helps to build trust, even when the diffs themselves are not understandable.

As for which one you should use — hey, use whatever you are most comfortable with. Personally I love Mercurial, as it lets me to create and share a new project almost instantly — either by starting a temporary web server with ‘hg serve’, or by using the cgi application they ship. It also works well on windows and has TorrtoiseHG for those allergic both to WWW and Console. Oh and you don’t have to manage your repository — you just start a separate one for each project, move them around as whole directories, clone and merge when needed — much easier than trying to wrap your mind around branches and permissions and whatnot.

posted at 05:41 pm on July 2, 2008 by Radomir Dopieralski

17 we're not all early adopters

It took me a few goes to get my head round version control, I work alone, building websites, and keeping track of all the different versions – local, staging and live servers, was getting tedious.

I tried SVN a couple of times, and eventually settled on a workflow that makes sense, but only really adopted it properly when Versions came out for OS X. Funnily enough, shortly after Cornerstone was released and it’s much better. (one or two minor niggles).

I’ve adopted a local repository and ftp’ing exported code at the moment, but ultimately will have a remote repository on my staging server, which will have a working copy locally for testing and on the staging server for client approval – this will allow other people to assist, by checking out from the staging server.

It all makes sense now.

I imagine tools like Versions and Cornerstone will make Subversion more widely used. When Git and Mercurial have the same easy GUI’s then they too will be on my list.

posted at 06:08 pm on July 2, 2008 by Tony Crockford

18 wow whee.

a perfect world indeed. a workflow without the confusion. i do believe that we are going to give it a scrutiny.

posted at 10:46 pm on July 2, 2008 by svend christensen

19 Implementing it at the moment..

While back end developers have been using version control for a long time now and may debate the pros and cons of the various version control systems, life in the trenches of front end web design and development (especially in smaller design studios and ad agencies with fast turnarounds) for the most part relies on much simpler and error prone methods of collaboration.

Our studio has recently introduced SVN into our workflow and I can say that it has made a huge difference to the efficiency and an even bigger improvement in reduction of the amalgamation and release stress even in the smaller jobs.

Hopefully this article will prompt more smaller development houses to adopt these excellent tools!

posted at 02:48 am on July 3, 2008 by Andy Johnston

20 Thanks for the Beanstalk Reference

Ryan, Thanks for the reference to Beanstalk. Our main goal when we started was to make the adoption process painless, this way people who might not use Subversion (or version control) could easily jump in without worrying about servers and installation.

At the same time, even Subversion has a learning curve. Most of the effort starts with the Subversion client and understanding the workflow. So far, the response to our integration with Versions has been great. We’ll continue to reduce the barrier to entry so designers, writers, and anyone else can realize the benefits to version control.

posted at 04:05 pm on July 3, 2008 by Chris Nagele

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