How is git used as other than the project's version control?

How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[John Dlugosz]

I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
is not the project's actual version control system.

I'm aware of the vague idea of using it to "go remote".

I'm sure I'll use it for non-programming topics just as an undo system.

But what about using it as a tool, wielded separately from applying
those tools to a git repository infrastructure?  For example, use it to
separate out hunks and untangle mixed work.  You could do this even if
your directory has nothing to do with git normally.  

--John
(please forgive the footer; it's not my idea nor my choice)

TradeStation Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) of three operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC and NFA), TradeStation Technologies, Inc., a trading software and subscription company, and TradeStation Europe Limited, a United Kingdom, FSA-authorized introducing brokerage firm. None of these companies provides trading or investment advice, recommendations or endorsements of any kind. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
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Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Thomas Adam]

2009/4/27 John Dlugosz <JDlugosz@tradestation.com>:
> But what about using it as a tool, wielded separately from applying
> those tools to a git repository infrastructure?  For example, use it to
> separate out hunks and untangle mixed work.  You could do this even if
> your directory has nothing to do with git normally.

What is it you're really asking here?  I use "git diff" all the time
outside of $GIT_DIR for instance -- invaluable, and was designed
deliberately that way.

-- Thomas Adam

RE: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[John Dlugosz]

> What is it you're really asking here?  

When putting together a presentation on git, I created a simple-looking
slide claiming that "developers will use git anyway" as a
general-purpose tool.  I find lots of web chatter about using it as a
lighter-weight front-end to an Enterprise VCS, or as part of a technique
for working away from your desk in such a system.  But it got me
thinking about how it might be more like a text editor in the sense if
being more generally useful than just that specific thing it's "for".
But I don't have any concrete examples, just a vague notion.


> I use "git diff" all the time
> outside of $GIT_DIR for instance -- invaluable, and was designed
> deliberately that way.
> 
> -- Thomas Adam






== beware, monster footer ahead==

TradeStation Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded holding company (NASDAQ GS: TRAD) of three operating subsidiaries, TradeStation Securities, Inc. (Member NYSE, FINRA, SIPC and NFA), TradeStation Technologies, Inc., a trading software and subscription company, and TradeStation Europe Limited, a United Kingdom, FSA-authorized introducing brokerage firm. None of these companies provides trading or investment advice, recommendations or endorsements of any kind. The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited.
  If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Thomas Adam]

2009/4/28 John Dlugosz <JDlugosz@tradestation.com>:
>> What is it you're really asking here?
>
> When putting together a presentation on git, I created a simple-looking
> slide claiming that "developers will use git anyway" as a
> general-purpose tool.  I find lots of web chatter about using it as a
> lighter-weight front-end to an Enterprise VCS, or as part of a technique
> for working away from your desk in such a system.  But it got me
> thinking about how it might be more like a text editor in the sense if
> being more generally useful than just that specific thing it's "for".
> But I don't have any concrete examples, just a vague notion.

Well, still you skirt around the main issue,  I use git in numerous scenarios:

*)  As a front end to a CVS and/or SVN repository.
*)  To manage files in my $HOME directory.

In the case of the first point, I have people using CVS/SVN directly
without them ever knowing I used git to commit my changes therein,

Is this what you're asking?   It's certainly possible and not too difficult.

-- Thomas Adam

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Jeff King]

On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 06:55:38PM -0400, John Dlugosz wrote:

> I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
> is not the project's actual version control system.

Thomas already mentioned using "git diff" separate from a git
repository; I find that "git diff --color-words" is much nicer than
"wdiff", which does something similar (though I rarely use it outside of
a repo only because I put _everything_ into git :) ).

One of the nice things about git (and other distributed VCS's) is that
creating a repo is very lightweight. If I am going to write a patch for
some other software, the first thing I'll do after untarring it is "git
init; git add .; git commit -m import". So it kind of blurs the concept
of "what is the project's actual version control system" as you wrote
above. If you consider the project to be my patch, it _is_ the VCS. Even
though upstream may not be using it.

And of course, if I am going to do multiple patches, then I may convert
and track upstream's history via git.

If you are looking for exotic uses of git, you may be interested in
Dscho's "Using Git For What It Is Not Intended" contest:

  http://search.gmane.org/?query=UGFWIINI

-Peff

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Octavio Alvarez]

On Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:55:38 -0700, John Dlugosz <JDlugosz@tradestation.com> wrote:
> I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
> is not the project's actual version control system.

I don't know if this suits your need or not, but I use it to track configuration changes and history in servers and equipment.

Octavio.

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Andreas Ericsson]

Jeff King wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 06:55:38PM -0400, John Dlugosz wrote:
> 
>> I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
>> is not the project's actual version control system.
> 
> One of the nice things about git (and other distributed VCS's) is that
> creating a repo is very lightweight. If I am going to write a patch for
> some other software, the first thing I'll do after untarring it is "git
> init; git add .; git commit -m import". So it kind of blurs the concept
> of "what is the project's actual version control system" as you wrote
> above. If you consider the project to be my patch, it _is_ the VCS. Even
> though upstream may not be using it.
> 

This...

> And of course, if I am going to do multiple patches, then I may convert
> and track upstream's history via git.
> 

... although I usually *always* do this, even if it's only one patch.

-- 
Andreas Ericsson                   andreas.ericsson@op5.se
OP5 AB                             www.op5.se
Tel: +46 8-230225                  Fax: +46 8-230231

Register now for Nordic Meet on Nagios, June 3-4 in Stockholm
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on peace.

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Mike Ralphson]

2009/4/27 John Dlugosz <JDlugosz@tradestation.com>:
> I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
> is not the project's actual version control system.

We have historically used a very simple pessimistic locking strategy
with our legacy platform source. Individual files or groups of files
are checked out to developers' home directories and they override
what's in the live area when that dev compiles and tests for
themselves.

I basically inserted git under this mechanism, thus allowing the
optional use of merge and integrate (lockless development),
topic-branches, tags etc. Git also functions as our tripwire solution
to ensure changes to that master shared repo have all been made
traceably.

Git effectively is the VCS now, as what was there before was only
barely acceptable when it came to accessing old versions etc, but if
you don't want to interact with git, you don't have to even know it's
there. Until it saves your arse.

Mike

Re: How is git used as other than the project's version control?

[Matthieu Moy]

"John Dlugosz" <JDlugosz@TradeStation.com> writes:

> I'm interested in finding out how people use git "on the side", when it
> is not the project's actual version control system.

2008-01-31: Git is the next Unix
http://www.advogato.org/person/apenwarr/diary/371.html

-- 
Matthieu