Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Version Control
Although versioned backups are tremendously useful, they store
new versions of any given file only when your backup runs—whether
that's once an hour or once a day. In some cases, that's not enough.
For example, if I'm writing a magazine article and something happens
to the file, Time Machine might be able to restore a version from an
hour ago—but that's an hour of work lost, which is significant when
I'm under a deadline.
Programmers often use version-control software such as CVS
(Concurrent Versioning System), Git, Perforce, and Subversion to
eliminate all these problems. These tools can be configured to retain
a copy of each file every time it's saved (or as often as the user
manually commits the file—that is, uses a command that copies it to
the repository) and either prevent or coordinate changes to a single
file made by more than one person. Unfortunately, the Mac programs
available for working with these systems are typically quite complex
and have interfaces only a programmer could love.
However, there are a few version-control options that are friendly
and convenient enough for ordinary people to use. For example:
Auto Save and Versions: Starting with Lion, Apple made it
possible for Mac apps to save files automatically and keep copies
of every saved version (up to a point, just like Time Machine).
You can even activate it by clicking the Time Machine icon in your
Dock. Not all apps support these features, but many do. To learn
more, see Matt Neuburg's article The Very Model of a Modern
Mountain Lion Document .
NTI Shadow: This unusual backup program includes a version-
control capability that's easy enough for anyone to use, works with
any file type, and stores copies of your files every single time you
save them. ($39.99)
ForeverSave: This is another application that straddles the fence
between a backup program and a version control program. It
wouldn't serve as a replacement for a full-blown versioned backup
program, but it can nicely fill in the gap between Time Machine's
hourly backups, especially when Auto Save and Versions features
aren't an option.
 
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