The Pen drive Problem : Reason for version control
Neha Chopra | Finance Writer → Full-Stack Developer in Progress I write finance case studies and analytical articles, and I’m currently transitioning into web development. Passionate about building clean, functional web experiences while bringing an analytical mindset from finance into tech.
Prior to cloud and git, developers used to store code in pen drive so that pen drive could be transferred among developers of team for code contribution. When a developer had finished his work, he used to pass on that drive to others. There were 2 problems in this system that created the need for version control systems.
1. Unable to track changes
It was very hard to track changes as to who had contributed and what. Once the code was overwritten, there was no going back.
2. Restricted Collaboration
The one with pendrive could code while leaving others waiting to receive pendrive. This restricted collaboration.
This led to evolution of git which was initially the side project of founder of linux OS, Linus Torvalds. Version control system with the capability of hosting on server not just helped in tracking changes made but also encouraged more collaborative efforts.
