Versioning tools

Version control is one of the most important best practices when programming in any language. It allows you to track changes, collaborate with others, and maintain a history of your work.

Git¶

Git is the most widely used version control system today. It is a powerful tool, although it can be somewhat challenging and potentially unsafe, especially for beginners. Git installation is optional for this training, but recommended for your future work.

# this should already have been done, so Git should already be available
xcode-select --install

brew install git

sudo apt install git

Meld¶

Meld is a graphical diff and merge tool that integrates seamlessly with both Git and Mercurial. It provides a visual interface for comparing files, reviewing changes, and resolving merge conflicts, tasks that are much easier to understand visually than through command-line output.

While Meld installation is optional for this training, it significantly improves your version control workflow. Once you start using version control regularly, you’ll find Meld invaluable for understanding what changed in your code and handling complex merges.

brew install --cask meld

sudo apt install meld

Mercurial¶

Mercurial is the version control system used for this training’s repository, so it is highly recommended to install it to access the source code.

Mercurial is similar to Git but offers some advantages: a simpler, more consistent command interface, enhanced safety (no destructive operations), and excellent performance for large repositories. While Git has become the standard for open-source projects (GitHub, GitLab), Mercurial remains widely used in companies and offers powerful features for collaborative development.

winget install TortoiseHg.TortoiseHg -e --accept-package-agreements

uv tool install "mercurial<7" --with hg-git,hg-evolve,certifi -p 3.13