Because the diagrams for hg are very simple, there is a really simple way to do branching that obviously works and commits a relatively forgivable sin: just `cp -a` the folder.
Now, I know that that's in essence an admission of defeat! I'm not pretending that it's anything less than that. However, this is also the easiest explanation of, and model for, branching that anyone has ever created. The explanation of branching which the nontechnical user immediately understood was, in fact, just having a couple of these repository-folders sitting side by side with different names, `current_version` and `new_feature`. It is a model of branching that is so innocent and pure and unsullied by the world that a nontechnical person got it with only a couple of questions.
Like I said, I'm actually employed at an SVN shop, where branches are other folders in the root folder and the workflow is less "push this to the testing server" and more "commit to the repository, SSH into the testing server, and then update the testing server." But that Hg model resonated with someone who doesn't know computers. To me, that was a moment of amazement.
I'm not even saying which one is better really; I like Git branches too! It's just that I'm astonished that the more confusing DVCS is winning. Most peoples' approach to Git is "I am just going to learn a couple of fundamentals and ask an expert to set up something useful for me." I would guess that most Git users don't branch much; they never learned that aspect to it. I'm really surprised that software developers aren't more the sort to really say "why am I doing this?" and to prefer systems which make it easier to answer those questions with pretty pictures.
> I'm really surprised that software developers aren't more the sort to really say "why am I doing this?" and to prefer systems which make it easier to answer those questions with pretty pictures.
The network effect should explain it.
That said, using pictures to answer questions is fairly sadistic when those asking them are blind. I know a blind developer and I never use pictures when talking to him in IRC.
They do answer the questions with pictures. But the pictures look like http://xkcd.com/1597/ and the answers are perhaps not what you are expecting. (-:
Now, I know that that's in essence an admission of defeat! I'm not pretending that it's anything less than that. However, this is also the easiest explanation of, and model for, branching that anyone has ever created. The explanation of branching which the nontechnical user immediately understood was, in fact, just having a couple of these repository-folders sitting side by side with different names, `current_version` and `new_feature`. It is a model of branching that is so innocent and pure and unsullied by the world that a nontechnical person got it with only a couple of questions.
Like I said, I'm actually employed at an SVN shop, where branches are other folders in the root folder and the workflow is less "push this to the testing server" and more "commit to the repository, SSH into the testing server, and then update the testing server." But that Hg model resonated with someone who doesn't know computers. To me, that was a moment of amazement.
I'm not even saying which one is better really; I like Git branches too! It's just that I'm astonished that the more confusing DVCS is winning. Most peoples' approach to Git is "I am just going to learn a couple of fundamentals and ask an expert to set up something useful for me." I would guess that most Git users don't branch much; they never learned that aspect to it. I'm really surprised that software developers aren't more the sort to really say "why am I doing this?" and to prefer systems which make it easier to answer those questions with pretty pictures.