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I rather dislike how the author dismisses the fact that other people have other use-cases. The author chooses one use-case of his liking and demonstrates how (

I rather dislike how the author dismisses the fact that other people have other use-cases. The author chooses one use-case of his liking and demonstrates how (in his opinion) git handles that use case far superior than hg. I remain unconvinced that git's handling is actually better and while that may be a common case for him, I have yet to meet that use case. I know of at least one company that still uses cvs as VCS of their choice because it perfectly fits their use case, does exactly what's needed and does not introduce any artificial complexity. Probably pretty much any modern VCS rips CVS apart in terms of features and storage model, but I can understand their reasons. By the authors reasoning they should switch to git because it's clearly and demonstrable superior in all respects.

stevecooperorg 15y ago
For me, the big missing use case is using it on Windows. It feels like git actively hates the Windows developer. Install mysygit on a windows box and the recommended option is to use a bash shell. A bash shell on a windows machine. The message seems to be 'git's never going to really try to work your way; why not pretend you're using *nix?'
felipec 15y ago
I did not dismiss any use-case. As I said; they are mostly the same. So, if you don't need complex use of branches, you would be fine with either git or mercurial, obviously. But that's a chicken and egg situation; you don't know what you are missing until after you try out. Oh, I don't "need" more memory, I don't "need" an SSD, I don't need a 1TB drive. But once you have them, you suddenly realize you can't live without them. And that's usually what happens when people realize how they can utilize git branches effectively. You are free to disagree, but at worst, they are exactly the same, and at best, git branches are superior (and so far nobody has managed to demonstrate otherwise in the 160 comments in my blog). So, why would you pick anything else than git?
- Xylakant 15y ago
  This is a false assumption and a flawed comparison. An SSD has the same external interface as a spindle disk. It does have does have different internal properties though that make it superior in almost all use cases though. > You are free to disagree, but at worst, they are exactly the same, and at best, git branches are superior (and so far nobody has managed to demonstrate otherwise in the 160 comments in my blog). So, why would you pick anything else than git? I actually have to admit that after reading the whole comment thread in your blog, I'm actually convinced that the HG folks won the argument. Since you're a git developer it's expected that your takeaway is a different one. It's probably not that you're biased, but you know the way git does things soo far better than anything else that this is the way you think and live and anything else is inferior. However, my answer to your question is a different one: Different tasks require different tools. Limiting yourself to one tool based on one use case is not a good decision. If I only need a simple use case and there's a choice of a tool that is technically superior, only with a complicated user interface and a tool that is technically inferior but with a simple user interface I loose the moment I pick the superior tool. A complicated user interface makes me memorize and learn more, making the whole handling more tedious and error prone than required. I'd pick the simpler tool any day if it fits. I'll go for the more elaborate one when the need shows itself. The tricky point is choosing the right tool, but that works both ways. A powerful tool may be dangerous as well and cost you a finger, hand or more. A simple tool well under your control may bring you much farther with less injuries. For example: Have you ever tried teaching non-developers (i.E. designers) the full git user interface with all it's powers? I usually get about as far a the subset that's equivalent to what svn can do before they nod me off. Github's simple gui client that can only talk to github repositories is what most folks that I know need and are content with. So if that's all they need and all they use, why should they opt for a more complicated piece of software. To them it's all "oh, I can store stuff there" and I can actually related to that. They'd be happy with svn and they'll never move beyond that. The only reason they switched is because github offers such a nifty image comparison view.
  - felipec 15y ago
    > This is a false assumption and a flawed comparison. An SSD has the same external interface as a spindle disk. It does have does have different internal properties though that make it superior in almost all use cases though. Wrong. If SSDs are superior in every way, why do spin disks still exist? Because SSDs are way more expensive for the same size, and don't have as much storage. And you are ignoring the point by focusing on SSDs and not the point being made. > I actually have to admit that after reading the whole comment thread in your blog, I'm actually convinced that the HG folks won the argument. Oh really? Can you point to the comment in which they answer to my challenge? Or do you feel that evidence is not important? > However, my answer to your question is a different one: Different tasks require different tools. Limiting yourself to one tool based on one use case is not a good decision. Fallacy of hasty generalization. Sometimes it's better to pick the tool depending on the job, sometimes you should specialize in a certain tool. For example, there's not much point in picking a different editor for different tasks. A more succinct example is saying; limiting to one tool, your hands, is not a good decision. Well, you can use your feet for some tasks if you want, the rest of the world would prefer hands any time for most tasks. > For example: Have you ever tried teaching non-developers (i.E. designers) the full git user interface with all it's powers? I usually get about as far a the subset that's equivalent to what svn can do before they nod me off. Have you? And were they already familiar with SVN? That's the problem, you are not even aware you are making an assumption; that SVN is the natural way to to SCM, and thus mercurial's UI is good because it resembles SVN. As I mentioned in my blog post; some people claim they find git easier to learn, particularly the ones that don't know SVN, or were tainted by crap like CVS. IOW; they don't relearn.

stevecooperorg 15y ago

For me, the big missing use case is using it on Windows. It feels like git actively hates the Windows developer. Install mysygit on a windows box and the recommended option is to use a bash shell. A bash shell on a windows machine. The message seems to be 'git's never going to really try to work your way; why not pretend you're using *nix?'

felipec 15y ago

I did not dismiss any use-case. As I said; they are mostly the same. So, if you don't need complex use of branches, you would be fine with either git or mercurial, obviously. But that's a chicken and egg situation; you don't know what you are missing until after you try out. Oh, I don't "need" more memory, I don't "need" an SSD, I don't need a 1TB drive. But once you have them, you suddenly realize you can't live without them. And that's usually what happens when people realize how they can utilize git branches effectively. You are free to disagree, but at worst, they are exactly the same, and at best, git branches are superior (and so far nobody has managed to demonstrate otherwise in the 160 comments in my blog). So, why would you pick anything else than git?

Xylakant 15y ago
This is a false assumption and a flawed comparison. An SSD has the same external interface as a spindle disk. It does have does have different internal properties though that make it superior in almost all use cases though. > You are free to disagree, but at worst, they are exactly the same, and at best, git branches are superior (and so far nobody has managed to demonstrate otherwise in the 160 comments in my blog). So, why would you pick anything else than git? I actually have to admit that after reading the whole comment thread in your blog, I'm actually convinced that the HG folks won the argument. Since you're a git developer it's expected that your takeaway is a different one. It's probably not that you're biased, but you know the way git does things soo far better than anything else that this is the way you think and live and anything else is inferior. However, my answer to your question is a different one: Different tasks require different tools. Limiting yourself to one tool based on one use case is not a good decision. If I only need a simple use case and there's a choice of a tool that is technically superior, only with a complicated user interface and a tool that is technically inferior but with a simple user interface I loose the moment I pick the superior tool. A complicated user interface makes me memorize and learn more, making the whole handling more tedious and error prone than required. I'd pick the simpler tool any day if it fits. I'll go for the more elaborate one when the need shows itself. The tricky point is choosing the right tool, but that works both ways. A powerful tool may be dangerous as well and cost you a finger, hand or more. A simple tool well under your control may bring you much farther with less injuries. For example: Have you ever tried teaching non-developers (i.E. designers) the full git user interface with all it's powers? I usually get about as far a the subset that's equivalent to what svn can do before they nod me off. Github's simple gui client that can only talk to github repositories is what most folks that I know need and are content with. So if that's all they need and all they use, why should they opt for a more complicated piece of software. To them it's all "oh, I can store stuff there" and I can actually related to that. They'd be happy with svn and they'll never move beyond that. The only reason they switched is because github offers such a nifty image comparison view.
- felipec 15y ago
  > This is a false assumption and a flawed comparison. An SSD has the same external interface as a spindle disk. It does have does have different internal properties though that make it superior in almost all use cases though. Wrong. If SSDs are superior in every way, why do spin disks still exist? Because SSDs are way more expensive for the same size, and don't have as much storage. And you are ignoring the point by focusing on SSDs and not the point being made. > I actually have to admit that after reading the whole comment thread in your blog, I'm actually convinced that the HG folks won the argument. Oh really? Can you point to the comment in which they answer to my challenge? Or do you feel that evidence is not important? > However, my answer to your question is a different one: Different tasks require different tools. Limiting yourself to one tool based on one use case is not a good decision. Fallacy of hasty generalization. Sometimes it's better to pick the tool depending on the job, sometimes you should specialize in a certain tool. For example, there's not much point in picking a different editor for different tasks. A more succinct example is saying; limiting to one tool, your hands, is not a good decision. Well, you can use your feet for some tasks if you want, the rest of the world would prefer hands any time for most tasks. > For example: Have you ever tried teaching non-developers (i.E. designers) the full git user interface with all it's powers? I usually get about as far a the subset that's equivalent to what svn can do before they nod me off. Have you? And were they already familiar with SVN? That's the problem, you are not even aware you are making an assumption; that SVN is the natural way to to SCM, and thus mercurial's UI is good because it resembles SVN. As I mentioned in my blog post; some people claim they find git easier to learn, particularly the ones that don't know SVN, or were tainted by crap like CVS. IOW; they don't relearn.