[SVN]: Subversion vs. GIT vs. other open source SVNs.

Question

Being a .NET developer, I used Visual SourceSafe that comes bundled with Visual Studio. From quite some time I am working on technologies other than .NET, and started using TortoiseSVN. I am a beginner in this area of open source SVNs. I have few queries regarding this:

(1) Which one is better, Subversion or GIT? I want to use on Windows XP. I use Aptana Studio IDE.

(2) I am a bit confused with this term SVN. Sometimes I see it related to Subversion, which is a product, and sometimes as a field that comprises of such tools. Please clarify.

(3) What is TortoiseSVN than? Is it a client program?

Answer 1

They're completely different. About which is better, I like Git more. It allows better local control than SVN.

GIT is Distributed, meaning that every repository may act as a master on any occasion, while SVN is Centralized.

In Windows, I've had better experience on TortoiseSVN than Git, but I haven't tried the latest versions.

---

SVN means Subversion. CVS is another one, typically confused with the acronym VCS, Version Control System. Git is a DVCS.

---

TortoiseSVN is a wrapper. It allows you to use a typically console app (SVN) with simple Context-menus.

Answer 2

If you're using Windows XP, I suggest you go with SVN. It's easier to install than Git (at the time I used it).

To know more about the two and how to use them, I think the best place to go is to their websites/manuals.

Answer 3

1. With Subversion you push commits to one centralized repository that serves all the files. GIT is decentralized, where you can use any given copy of the project as a repository to push or pull commits.

2. SVN is for Subversion, which is an SCM which I believe stands for "Source Code Manager" though I could be wrong on that. They are sometimes also called VCS or "Version Control System".

3. TortoiseSVN is a client used to access Subversion repositories.

Answer 4

If you are using Aptana Studio (which is essentially Eclipse) I would suggest using Subversion, as the plugin for Eclipse is very mature.

The Git plugin, on the other hand, is fairly new and as far as I know there isn't a 1.0 release available.

Answer 5

I've been advocating Mercurial, for those who need a free DVCS on Windows.

Additional advantages include:

• tortoiseHg, which provides similar functionality to and is derived from TortoiseSVN
• Similar performance to Git, and much better cross-platform support

If you don't need DVCS, stick to Subversion. It's got the best-supported tools and interfaces on all platforms.