A Git story: Not so fun this time

4 months ago

Linus Torvalds created Git as a solution to the Linux kernel's version control challenges after BitKeeper's free license was revoked.
BitKeeper, developed by Larry McVoy, was initially used by Linux kernel developers but faced backlash due to its proprietary nature and restrictive licensing.
Andrew Tridgell's reverse engineering of BitKeeper led to the revocation of its free license, prompting Linus to develop Git in just two days.
Git's initial version was simple, focusing on SHA-1 hashes and system calls, with a data model that stored directory states rather than tracking individual file changes.
Junio Hamano became Git's maintainer after contributing significantly to its early development, including implementing the merge functionality.
GitHub, founded by Tom Preston-Werner and Chris Wanstrath, played a pivotal role in popularizing Git, especially within the Ruby on Rails community.
Git's dominance in version control was solidified by its adoption by major projects and its integration with GitHub, reaching a 94% market share by 2022.
BitKeeper eventually open-sourced its code in 2016 but failed to compete with Git and GitHub, marking the end of its commercial success.

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