Explaining Version Control to Non-Programmers
As I mentioned on my other blog, I really struggle to explain version control to non-programmers. In particular, I don't know how to communicate just how cool it is.
Rands has a go at it by explaining that it's all about capturing context. How do you explain Bazaar (or anything other version control) to the people you meet?
posted by jml @ 8:57 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I tell them that I work on a tool that helps programmers collaborate. That's a bit abstract and vague (lots of different kinds of tools could do that), but somewhat comprehensible.
Yeah, that's what I end up saying as well. But, I'd like to have something better in reserve for people who are interested enough to know details.
I ask them if they have ever edited Wikipedia, and if they have, I point out version control features in Wikipedia to them, and how they help people to collaborate.
For programmers that are new to version control, I point them to http://www.ericsink.com/scm/source_control.html which is and excellent and comprehensive guide to version control. It is pre-dvcs, so it could do with an update.
Depends on who I'm talking to, but I have described version control as "Like track changes in Word, but for hundreds of documents at once." It's not really true, but it does get people into the right ballpark.
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