What source/version control to use for home?

Question

I used to use svn, and I had AnkhSVN setup in visual studio. I ended up migrating the svn server from a linux box to a windows box about 4 years ago. I didn't have a good backup / restore process on that machine, and I'm afraid I lost most of the histories of stuff I've worked on at home when that hard drive died (I know... I know... I should have backed it up)

Are there any services I can use where I don't have to be responsible for the disaster procedures.

I need to be able to create a repository at will without a bunch of setup.

I suppose I could setup another svn server, if I can get some recovery strategy that is transparent enough I can forget about it.

What are other people using for their own personal development?

Answer 1

I use unfuddle and it's awesome. Free for one-man projects and cheap to add more users.

EDIT: comes with issue tracking and project management features, too!

Answer 2

I use git for everything, even personal local stuff. Part of what I love about it is that I can just git init with no fuss and have a repository right there. It does anything I want without any jumping through hoops (svn's process for merging a branch comes to mind as a harrowing experience).

I also have a remote server with gitosis installed, so with very little effort I can have a synchronized backup of my repository and make it either private or public. Of course, you could just use github and have even less to worry about.

git has a bit of a learning curve if you use it distributedly, but for a one-man repository, it works pretty much like svn done right.

Answer 3

Use a distributed VCS, such as Bazaar or Mercurial. Mirror your projects to free public hosting like Launchpad (Bazaar) or Bit Bucket (Mercurial). Then you'll always have at least two full copies of each repository, and more if other people decide to branch from your code.

Answer 4

Subversion, with automated mirroring through SVK to somewhere on the other side of the planet :)

Answer 5

Perforce is free for 2 users and 5 client workspaces - great for personal stuff.

Answer 6

We use svnsync in a cron job to replicate the repositories between separate locations. (And we use a normal backup on the primary site).

Answer 7

Personally I use SVN at home. I just use the file: protocol to access it over my home network: I didn't see any point in setting up a web server for it, nor any particular advantage to using their svn: protocol.

I used to back up all my stuff to DVD, theoretically once a month but more like every 2 or three months. But now that my backups take more than one DVD, I switched to simply backing up to the hard drive of a spare computer. I can easily do that over the network, so aside from the nuisance that it runs for like an hour, it's an easy backup plan. If you don't have a spare computer, these days you can buy a cheap computer or a used one for a couple of hundred bucks, so unless you're really tight for money, it's not a big deal. (Tangential comment: A couple of years ago I noticed a "surplus electronics" shop and I decided to drop in and see what they had. They had a bunch of used computers they were selling for $250 each. Obsolete, but I was thinking that it would be amusing to get another computer so I could play with Linux at home, so I bought one. So computers have now gone from being multi-million dollar machines bought only by governments and mega-corporations after months of intensive planning, to products that a middle-class person can buy as an impulse purchase!)

Answer 8

Try SourceAnywhere Hosted. With server fully managed by Dynamsoft, you only need to install the client side and can connect to the hosted server anywhere anytime. You don't need to worry about the backup, maintaining of the server etc. A 3-user free plan is provided.