GIT: Distributed Revision System

Distributed Revision Systems have the advantage that a central server is not necessary in contrast to CVS or SVN. Furthermore commits and even more important diffs to other versions can be made  with a local repository only. This is an adanvantage when working offline, e.g. on journeys, on a plane etc. Furthermore a new branch for testing can quickly be made by simply cloning the repository once more and work in the new directory.

To setup up git client on your ubuntu linux just type aptitude install git-core and you're done.

For windows you need to download 2 packages:

MSysGIT
Tortoise GIT

If you install in this order everything should be fine. If Tortoise later on complains about not finding git, you get to Tortoise' Settings and point the git path to the directory where you installed msysgit +\bin e.g. c:\Program Files\git\bin

Working together on a project can be done like CVS and SVN. But in contrast to these central methods, you do not commit your files to the central repository but first to your local rep.

The central repository is then updated by a so called push.

To get the updates from the central server you do a pull.

Basic tasks are:

1. Clone the repository to your local workstation: git clone git@someserver.com:projectname


2. Add new files: git add xyz


3. Commit the new files or changes is already added files: git commit xyz


4. Send changes to server: git push


5. Get changes from server to rep only: git fetch


6. Get changes from server to rep and update checked out files: git pull

This is just for starting with git, please consult the manuals and documentation on more advanced topics.
Thanks to Thomas for this information for a quick start.

Another Distributed Revision System is mercurial where you find a small tutorial here: MercurialHG