Workshop · 95 words · 1 min read

Git: Distributed Version Control for the Angry Finn

Linus Torvalds built Git in two weeks out of frustration, and accidentally created the tool that powers all modern software development.

#The BitKeeper Crisis

In 2005, the Linux kernel community lost access to BitKeeper, the proprietary version control system they’d been using. Linus Torvalds, frustrated with every existing alternative, spent two weeks building his own. His design goals were speed, data integrity, and support for distributed, non-linear workflows.

#The Distributed Model

          [remote/origin]
           /     |     \
     [alice]  [bob]  [carol]
       |        |       |
    (clone)  (clone) (clone)

Unlike centralized systems (SVN, CVS), every Git clone is a full repository with complete history. You can commit, branch, merge, and bisect entirely offline. This model enabled both Linux kernel development (thousands of contributors, no central server) and the pull-request workflow that GitHub would popularize.