git usage

cvs was easy to take on, even though I didn't know any version control system beforehand.

git was harder, even though I did know some systems by then.

The difference: cvs has basically one way to work with it, while with git you are much freeer in how you want to work. With freedom comes the problem of choice and the need of experience. For example git practically doesn't let you destroy any history, but sometimes it can be tough to find out how to recover from a particular mistake.

Also in the mix: When I started cvs, I had nothing. When I started with git, I had quite some history to import and to deal with.

As long as you don't do branches (and with plain cvs, you better shouldn't), cvs is just a way of sharing a common tree without risking accidential overwrites. With git there is a wealth of things you can do, and of those you can do nearly right. I don't think that I am yet in a position to foist git over a bunch of developers and to give them enough training so that they can get along without big mishaps or frustration. Especially not for windows guys.

So mostly I still use git-svn, live with the company decision to use svn, and sometimes use git hackery for special effects that nobody else needs to know about that git was even involved.