Subversion is almost a necessity for many programmers. However it is rarely thought of as a tool for “versioning” essays, study, letters, documents etc.
What is Subversion?
Subversion (or SVN) was designed to be a successor of CVS, another “version control” system. Basically what they do is keep track of every version of a file in a folder you specify. So for example when writing a program, you may try adding a new feature only to find that it screws up big-time, and you want to go back to an old working version. Subversion allows you to do this. However it can also be a very useful tool for general document work. For example, if you are using Microsoft Word, you can pick two different “revisions” (or versions) of your document and compare the changes in them.
Why use Subversion?
Keeping backups
You don’t have to worry about hundreds of old backup files lying around. Subversion keeps track of the date at which each file was versioned. You can also place notes on each revision. When you have finished working on the documents, you simply “Commit” the files to Subversion, which creates a new revision. You can then revert back to any revision at any time. You can also compare changes between two or more revisions.- Synchronising files
You might have a bunch of documents on a USB stick which you would also like to have on your PC at home. This way you can edit the files when your USB stick isn’t plugged in. Subversion can keep track of what has changed, and commit only the changes made to the database. Subversion was designed with collaborative work in mind.
Check back for Part II – How to use Subversion
Meanwhile, check out Subversion on a stick
