Large, fast-changing projects with many authors need a Version Control System (geekspeak for “file database”) to track changes and avoid general chaos. But software projects? Not a chance.ĭo you think the Windows source code sits in a shared folder like “Windows2007-Latest-UPDATED!!”, for anyone to edit? That every programmer just works in a different subfolder? No way. Our shared folder/naming system is fine for class projects or one-time papers. So Why Do We Need A Version Control System (VCS)? Hopefully they relabel the file after they save it.

We may even use a shared folder so other people can see and edit files without sending them over email.

If we’re clever, we add a version number or date: Document_V1.txt, DocumentMarch2015.txt.

It’s a common problem, and solutions are usually like this: You want the new file without obliterating the old one.

Got any files like this? (Not these exact ones I hope). You’ve probably cooked up your own version control system without realizing it had such a geeky name. Why do you care? So when you mess up you can easily get back to a previous working version. Version Control (aka Revision Control aka Source Control) lets you track your files over time.

Download general chaos switch