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