Migrating open source code repositories from CVS to GitHub

If you have ever tried sending a patch to an open source project, you will be familiar with the obstacles that can put off even the most motivated of developers. For example, you need to discover the project maintainer's email address and negotiate the various levels of moderation. If somebody in a position to make decisions actually finds the time to take a look, the patch format might be wrong, or the patch might collide with another, unpublished change.

Reducing the PITA Factor

GitHub's aim is to reduce the PITA (pain in the ass) factor [2]. Public code repositories that are hosted on GitHub use the branch- and merge-friendly Git revision control system that allows the open source community to apply changes, test locally, and – if successful – flow the code into the original project with little pain.

Creating a fork – spawning a copy of an open source project – is not a sneaky move on github.com. Here, forks are not a means of taking control of a project, but the recommended way of developing and testing new features and, finally, asking the project maintainer to add them to the main branch of the project.

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