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5 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <title>Game of Trees (Got): Frequently Asked Questions</title>
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13 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <i>Game of Trees</i></a>
14 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Frequently Asked Questions
18 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h3>Quick Links:</h3>
21 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#special" >What makes Got special?</a>
22 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#replacegit" >Does Got aim to replace Git?</a>
23 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#code" >Does Got contain GPL-licensed Git code?</a>
24 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#openbsd" >Why is Got OpenBSD-specific?</a>
25 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#replacecvs" >Will Got replace use of CVS in OpenBSD?</a>
26 3dd5e265 2023-06-28 bentley <li><a href="#pointless" >What's the point of all this? Why not just use Git?</a>
32 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h2 id="special"><a class="permalink" href="#special">What makes Got special?</a></h2>
35 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Got has a number of properties that make it unique among version control
39 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <li>The code base is easy for OpenBSD developers to read, audit, and develop,
40 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp because it employs coding and design conventions familiar to those developers.
41 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <li>The command-line interface is consistent and minimal. It has the least
42 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp amount of options possible while still being usable. We strive for sane
43 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp defaults that fit our workflow, instead of offering configurability for
44 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp every possible use case.
45 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <li>Got is compatible with "bare" Git repositories, and thus integrates with
46 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp any tool built around the same format. Got is not a "Git porcelain".
47 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Got is a new system which relies on prior art and takes what makes Git's
48 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp design great, leaves out the parts that make Git hard for us to use, and
49 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp invents new parts for an end result which serves our needs.
53 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h2 id="replacegit"><a class="permalink" href="#replacegit">Does Got aim to replace Git?</a></h2>
55 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp No. Got does not aim to replace Git.
56 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Got can be used instead of Git (for some tasks), or in addition to Git.
57 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp If you are already using Git and are happy with it, you don't need Got.
60 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Anyone attempting to push an agenda of replacing Git with Got where Git
61 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp is already established would be highly delusional.
63 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h2 id="code"><a class="permalink" href="#code">Does Got contain GPL-licensed Git code?</a></h2>
66 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp No. We respect the copyright and licensing decisions of Git's authors,
67 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp just as we expect them to respect our own.
70 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Most of Got's code was written from scratch, carries the copyright of its
71 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp authors, and is released under the ISC licence. Some parts of Got code
72 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp were lifted from existing code in the OpenBSD base system.
75 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp There is no truth in claims about GPL violations.
77 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h2 id="openbsd"><a class="permalink" href="#openbsd">Why is Got OpenBSD-specific?</a></h2>
79 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Got's developers are OpenBSD developers who prefer to use a version
80 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp control system as part of their workflow which does not have the
81 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp inconveniences of CVS, with code internals that are as accessible to
82 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp them as most of the other code they touch while working on OpenBSD.
85 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Anyone is free to use Got for any purpose they wish (provided they comply
86 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp with the licence) and provide feedback. But we will give much higher
87 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp priority to the requirements of OpenBSD developers over anyone else's.
88 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Writing a classic general-purpose version control system is hard and
89 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp requires a lot of resources.
90 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Limiting Got's scope strictly to our own requirements makes it much easier.
93 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp It is not uncommon for version control systems to be written with specific
94 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp target audiences in mind. Another example is
95 08942832 2019-08-15 stsp <a href="https://fossil-scm.org">fossil</a> which was written specifically
96 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp for the SQlite project.
98 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp <h2 id="replacecvs"><a class="permalink" href="#replacecvs">Will Got replace use of CVS in OpenBSD?</a></h2>
101 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp There is no way to know. It depends on how well Got will develop
102 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp and how well it will be received by the OpenBSD project at large.
105 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp Regardless, Got already serves the needs of its authors quite well,
106 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp and that is a benefit in itself.
108 f95879f3 2019-10-28 stsp <h2 id="pointless"><a class="permalink" href="#pointless">What's the point of all this? Why not just use Git?</a></h2>
110 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp If you are wondering why Got even exists, you can just ignore it.
113 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp You may have first learned about Game of Trees when visiting this web site.
114 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp This web site was published in August 2019, when Got was imported into the
115 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp OpenBSD ports tree to make it easily available for installation on OpenBSD
116 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp systems. The OpenBSD ports tree is public and hence this import brought
117 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp public attention to the Game of Trees project.
118 fda71fc0 2019-08-15 stsp So from that point onward, it made some sense to publish a web site for it.
119 a7200bb7 2019-10-28 stsp Before then, the project was already humming along quietly for 2.5 years.
120 a7200bb7 2019-10-28 stsp We don't need to hear your opinion that our project is pointless because
121 a7200bb7 2019-10-28 stsp Git is superior. Thank you!
