Bernd Öggl - Git: Project Management for Developers and DevOps

Whenever several people work together on a software project, a system is needed to store all the changes made in a traceable way. Such a version control system must also give all developers access to the entire project. Each programmer knows what the others have done recently; developers can try out the code of the others and test the codes interaction with their own changes.

In the past, many version control systems were used, such as Concurrent Versions System (CVS), Apache Subversion (SVN), or Microsoft Visual SourceSafe (VSS). In the last decade, however, Git has become the de facto standard.

The GitHub web platform played a significant role in this success, making learning and using Git much easier. Countless open-source projects use the free GitHub offering for project hosting. Commercial customers who didnt want to publish their source code pay for this service. GitHub is not the only Git platform, of course: Major competitors include GitLab, Azure DevOps Services, and Bitbucket. Microsoft bought GitHub in 2018 for $7.5 billion. Unlike other acquisitions, this development hasnt hurt GitHubs popularity so far.

Git came into being because Linus Torvalds needed a new version management system for the further development of the Linux kernel. The developer community had previously used the BitKeeper program. Torvalds was basically satisfied with the program, but a license change necessitated a switch. Of the open-source programs available at the time, none met his high standards.

So, the Linux chief developer briefly stopped his main work and created the basic framework for Git in just two weeks. The name Git stands for stupid or moron , and the help page man git also refers to the program as the stupid content tracker .

That this definition was an understatement became clear only gradually, long after Torvalds had given up on further development of Git and put it out of his hands. Not only did kernel developers quickly and easily switch their work to Git, but in the years that followed, more and more software projects outside the open-source world switched to Git as well.

Git made its final breakthrough when web platforms such as GitHub and GitLab became established. These websites simplify the hosting of Git projects enormously and have become an indispensable part of everyday Git life. (Even the Linux kernel is now on GitHub!)

Ironically, Torvalds main goal in designing Git was to create a decentralized version control system. But the centralized approach of GitHub and others made Git attractive for developers outside the guru league.

Some rate the importance of Git as highly as that of Linux. Torvalds has thus twice succeeded in completely turning the software universe on its head.

With all the enthusiasm, Git was clearly designed by professionals for professionals. We dont want to give you the impression in this book that Git is easy because it isnt. Youll need to keep in mind the following considerations:

• Often, more than one way exists to reach a goal. For readers already familiar with Git, this idea is useful, but if youre just learning Git, this diversity can be confusing.

• Many open-source projects are accused of being poorly documented. You really cant say that about Git. On the contrary, every command and every possible application is explained in pages as well as on the website ( https://git-scm.com/docs ) in such granularity and with so many conceivable special cases that you can get lost in the details.