Why should I use git instead of svn?

Question

I use to work with Visual Studio + C#, and have been using svn before, but not currently, so I want to put my code again on source's control.

Recently i heard about git, and I have been reading the git wiki and this and this, and i have read that there are no gui clients for git like TortoiseSvn, or at least, i haven't found'em.

My questions are:

• What are the advantages of git over svn
• Where can I find front ends easy to use for git.
• Is there any plugin (ANKH like) for git working with Visual Studio?
• Where else can I find resources for start with git?

Answer 1

There is a relevant question concerning tools for GIT similar to tortoise.

The advantages of GIT over SVN are discussed over and over so it's not something someone should elaborate here

And as for a Visual Studio plugin, i don't think there is, or will be one for quite some time. Maybe i am missing something here though.

Try here for a good guide on how to get started with git in windows

As for my entirely personal taste and view, i continue to stick to svn based on my personal requirements of what i want from my version control and i consider svn to be in a whole other level of tool and community support. Also i consider svn very mature and that doesn't necesserily mean that git doesn't get the job done.

Answer 2

TortoiseGit is available - just Google it (I can't remember the URL) And:

• Being distributed, you don't need to be connected to a server all the time, just work locally and push when you need to.

• It is very quick and doesn't use much bandwidth

• And, the classic, if it's good enough for Linus, it's good enough for you :)

Update: Link to TortoiseGit

Answer 3

I haven't used git, but I used svn and bazaar (which is similar in philosophy to git), so I can answer you in general terms.

The advantage of the so called distributed version control systems (DVCS) is that the repo and the code are together on your machine, and you are not dependent on a remote repo for operations. Every developer has a "branch", his own copy of the repo to which he commits to. You can commit, revert, check previous revisions, without being connected to the net. Officiality of repository is granted by virtue of human agreement, not technical setup. In svn, you only have one repo, which is _the_repo_ you and all the other people commit to. In DVCS, you commit to your own repo, and another developer to his own repo, and each of you can push his modifications to the officially designed repo when he pleases.

Another clear advantage is that operations in a DVCS are fast, blazing fast. svn becomes incredibly slow when you start having a lot of stuff in your repo. This can become annoying very soon.

On the minus side, DVCS are more difficult to use, but you can use a DVCS as a centralized VCS if you want.

Answer 4

I don't want to hash over pros and cons of git vs svn but here is one simple set of comparisons :- Why Git is better than X.

Some good Git Resources:

1. Git Ready. A sort of blog with little posts on beginner, intermediate and advanced uses of git.
2. Git Magic. A nice run through of what you can do.
3. GitCasts screencasts - nothing like seeing it in action to help you understand it's power. Including the useful Git On Windows screencast.

Have fun!

Answer 5

Here my personal experiences with git vs. svn:

• Git vs. SVN: git tracks state, history and integrity of the source tree. SVN only tracks state.

Especially when merging, git's extensive use of stored history (across renames and merges) comes handy to make much better informed decisions leading to less conflicts.

Having a complete, cryptographically verifiable integrity chain through the repository helps build trust in the underlying systems, or detect when they fail. On the downside it can be complicated to create "clean" patches. Having a proper workflow helps.

Finally, git works locally by default, giving it a unbelievably huge boost in contrast to SVN which must go to the central repo for almost any operation.

• Software: See this question, there are several standalone GUIs for working with the repo, history browsers and shell extensions.

• Studio Plugin: GitExtensions has a Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 plugin.

• Documentation: Start with the GIT User's Manual. There are more links to tutorials and books on git-scm.com.

Answer 6

I'm not sure what the stability of TortoiseGIT is at this stage, and when you're talking about something that integrates that intimately with Explorer this is an important consideration. Can anyone speak to this?

Also bear in mind that git is not the only choice if you are looking for the benefits of a distributed VCS. Git has the twin virtues of being very powerful and also very complicated. You might find another DVCS such as Bazaar or Mecurial an easier transition to reap the benefits of a distributed system. Both have tortoise interfaces in development but again, I'm not sure of their stability. (Bazaar's is included in their windows package though, so you would assume it is at a reasonably good stage.)

A quick search has also turned up VisualHg and Bzr-VisualStudio although I have no idea of their readiness to be used in anger. Caveat emptor.