Getting started with Git
What is Git? A nightmare? An idiot? It was Monty Python's Flying Circus that made the word, and later the project, well-known. After the Vikings sang "Spam, Spam, Spam," another sketch, this time about a Mr. and Mrs. Git, went viral. But it was not just the idiot that inspired Linus Torvalds to choose the three-letter word for his version control and source code management system [1].
Git is close to "get" and follows the tradition of short and easy-to-remember, but pretty universal, Unix commands. Torvalds always meant Git to be simple, stupid, contemptible, and despicable. Take your own pick from the dictionary of slang to find the dominant meaning. Some definitions call Git a Global Information Tracker; others say it's just a combination of curse words ("goddamn idiotic truckload of s*!"); however, these are rumors and probably only apply when it breaks.
Another Finnish Invention
In 2005 BitKeeper, the Linux Kernel developers' favorite source code management system, changed its license, and thus, the crew around Linus had to find an alternative. When he couldn't find another tool that met his standards, Linus decided to create a new code management solution from scratch. The goals for Git were equally simple: It should be fast, have a simple design, and have strong support for non-linear development (i.e., thousands of parallel branches). Linus wanted a fully distributed system that could handle very large projects – like the Linux kernel.
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