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I’m pleased to publish an article I have been working on for the last few weeks. It is, in essence, an overview of version control, but I start from the premise that it is badly misunderstood by a large number of technology practitioners. Because it is badly misunderstood, I strive to address the “justifications” I have heard as to why version control has not been used, and why those arguments are largely incorrect.

I make no apologies for being perhaps a little aggressive in some of my arguments: I honestly feel that version/source control is as vital a part of the software development cycle as hiring good developers, making good backups, and delivering the requirements to the business. But many people, including senior employees, can put everything at risk when a version control solution is either ignored, not adopted, or – just as badly – not enforced.

Version control is not, and never has been a panacea. To the initiated, my arguments may well seem something of a statement of the obvious. But I’d simply ask that you conduct a straw pole of technologists in your organisation or social circle. How many of them, from programmers to system administrators to managers, are enthusiastic towards version control? If it’s more than twenty percent, I’d be surprised.

So my article provides arguments for and justifications towards version control. It will hopefully be a useful resource for both the casual reader as well as a help to any proponent of source control inside an organisation, struggling against the sort of apathy or hostility I have frequently encountered.

I look forward to any feedback of course. A big thanks are due to friends who helped with comments on the article.

A printable PDF version is available at the base of the article.

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