BitKeeper is a RevisionControlSystem? like CVS. From what I can gather it does things quite differently.

I believe it's quite different because CVS thinks about "per file" changes, where BitKeeper thinks about "changesets" -- PerryLorier

Linus is now using BitKeeper for the kernel sources since sometime around 2.4.13

BitKeeper isn't FreeSoftware. It does some strange things; for example, it will make all your changes/log files public, unless you buy a commercial licence (the idea being that open source software can use it without charge, but people who want to keep changes proprietary need to pay $$). I'm not sure about the licence details, but I think it requires you to accept changes to the licence, and to use newer versions of the software. Another contentious issue is that they changed their licence so that people could not use it who are working on a competing product, for example, SubVersion. There has (IMHO quite rightly) been a lot of anger over this move.

More information here.

CategoryPolitics