* Git allows and encourages you to have multiple local branches that can be entirely independent of each other. The creation, merging, and deletion of those lines of development takes seconds. * Git is fast. With Git, nearly all operations are performed locally, giving it a huge speed advantage on centralized systems that constantly have to communicate with a server somewhere. * One of the nicest features of any Distributed SCM, Git included, is that it's distributed. This means that instead of doing a "checkout" of the current tip of the source code, you do a "clone" of the entire repository. * The data model that Git uses ensures the cryptographic integrity of every bit of your project. Every file and commit is checksummed and retrieved by its checksum when checked back out. It's impossible to get anything out of Git other than the exact bits you put in. * Git has something called the "staging area" or "index". This is an intermediate area where commits can be formatted and reviewed before completing the commit. * Git is released under the GNU General Public License version 2.0, which is an open source license. The Git project chose to use GPLv2 to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software---to make sure the software is free for all its users.

* GNU arch has some features that make it particularly useful for public free software projects: it's easy to learn; it's inexpensive and easy to administer; it's a distributed system so there's no need to give write permission to every project participant; it has excellent support for the kinds of branching and merging that can make a free software project team shine. * Another goal of the arch project is to help free software development projects work better: migrating from CVS or another system to arch should help your project operate more effectively. If you maintain a GNU or other free software project, please consider joining the gnu-arch-users mailing list and exploring how arch can benefit your efforts.