{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/97817"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/97817","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"A conceptual design analysis of Git","abstract":"It is commonly asserted that the success of a software development project, and the usability of the final product, depend on the quality of the concepts that underlie its design. Yet this hypothesis has not been systematically explored by researchers, and conceptual design has not played the central role in the research and teaching of software engineering that one might expect. As part of a new research project to explore conceptual design, we are engaging in a series of case studies. This thesis reports on our case study on Git, a popular-yet sometimes puzzling-version control system. In an attempt to understand the root causes of its complexity, we analyze its conceptual model and identify some undesirable properties; we then present a reworking of the conceptual model that forms the basis of Gitless, our redesign of Git.","abstract_html":"It is commonly asserted that the success of a software development project, and the usability of the final product, depend on the quality of the concepts that underlie its design. Yet this hypothesis has not been systematically explored by researchers, and conceptual design has not played the central role in the research and teaching of software engineering that one might expect. As part of a new research project to explore conceptual design, we are engaging in a series of case studies. This thesis reports on our case study on Git, a popular-yet sometimes puzzling-version control system. In an attempt to understand the root causes of its complexity, we analyze its conceptual model and identify some undesirable properties; we then present a reworking of the conceptual model that forms the basis of Gitless, our redesign of Git.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perez De Rosso, Santiago (Santiago Nicolas)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Daniel Jackson."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015","date_published":"2015","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:20Z","subjects":["Electrical Engineering and Computer Science."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. 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Yet this hypothesis has not been systematically explored by researchers, and conceptual design has not played the central role in the research and teaching of software engineering that one might expect. As part of a new research project to explore conceptual design, we are engaging in a series of case studies. This thesis reports on our case study on Git, a popular-yet sometimes puzzling-version control system. In an attempt to understand the root causes of its complexity, we analyze its conceptual model and identify some undesirable properties; we then present a reworking of the conceptual model that forms the basis of Gitless, our redesign of Git."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.M."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A conceptual design analysis of Git"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Daniel Jackson."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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