BitMover makes version control system BitKeeper open source

The version control system BitKeeper is released under an open source license by the company BitMover. For example, the software was used for version control of the Linux kernel between 2002 and 2005, but was replaced by Git.

The BitKeeper site states that the software is available under an Apache 2.0 license. Phoronix reports that its development continues. Until now, the software was owned by BitMover, which in the past made it available for free to certain developers, including Linus Torvalds. He used the software for version control in Linux, which caused some controversy at the time, because the source code was not freely available and Linux should be an example of open software according to many.

In 2005, BitMover decided to stop developing the free version BitKeeper, as attempts were made to clone the software. The one behind these efforts was Samba developer Andrew Tridgell, who dubbed the clone “SourcePuller.” As a result, Torvalds also had to look for a new solution. A few weeks after BitMover’s decision, Torvalds presented a self-written alternative called Git.

This software is still used, alongside alternatives such as Apache Subversion.