Getting started with Version Control?

Question

I need to implement version control, even for just the developing I do at home. I have read about how great Subversion is for the past couple years and was about to dedicate myself to learning this on the side until I heard about Git being the up and coming version control system.Given the situation, should I hold off and see which one comes out on top? What are their relative advantages?

Answer 1

Hi Tammy,

Source control is a great idea, weather you are an individual working by yourself or working with a group. I have used both SVN and Git. At work, where about 4-6 people access the source control system I set up SVN. It is relatively easy to set up and, though very comprehensive in the features it provides, you will find you only use one or two commands on a daily basis, so don't let its complexity of features deter you from trying it. Depending on your preference, you can use SVN via several GUIs, or, if so inclined, via the command line. As you would expect, there are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. What one person calls an advantage, another would call a disadvantage, so I'll tell you my opinion and you can decide what works for you. I have used SVN more than Git so I am more familiar with SVN. The vast majority of my development and use of SVN is in Windows machines.

Both are free to use. Although there are version of SVN you can pay for, I have never found a reason to do so. SVN is run on local machines, be it a local machine you have at home or at work, and it is not dependent on an internet connection. Git, being hosted externally, has the advantage of being available to you even when you don't have access to your network (but obviously, you need an internet connection). With SVN, you are responsible for performing backups of your data (I feel the repository that holds all the source code should be backed up weekly, at least). It's not too hard to do this manually or write something automated, which is what I did. With Git by virtue of the fact that it's a cloud service, the backup is, in theory, done for you.

With SVN, I use a GUI called Tortoise. I like the way is integrates into the Windows file manager, and many IDEs also have extensions so you can sync up with the latest code without leaving your IDE. I find the Git GUI to be a bit clunky. I don't know if Git integrates into an IDE in any way.

As far as which is going to come out "on top", I don't think either will, at least not in the near future. To some extent they serve slightly different purposes. Git has the clear advantage for teams that need access to the same code but are not on the same local network. SVN is very strong if everyone has access to the same network and you want to keep complete control over your code, not exposing it to any outside entity.

I hope this helps you.

Steve