History of Git

Git has its roots in the development environment for the Linux kernel. In the early
2000s, the
team working on the kernel began using a proprietary distributed source control
system called
BitKeeper (sometimes abbreviated as BK). The team was initially allowed to use this
system for
free. Over time, differences of opinion developed around the use of BK to the point
that the owner
of that system revoked the free use of the product. At that time (in 2005), Linus
Torvalds, the
creator of Linux, set out to create a new system that maintained the distributed
ideal, but also
incorporated several additional concepts he had been working with. Perhaps most
importantly,
he wanted it to provide the fast performance that a project on the scope of the
Linux kernel would
need. Thus the motivation and ideas for what became Git came into being.