Darcs is one of the oldest distributed version control systems which are currently in use, yet it remains a somewhat obscure choice. In this talk I want to highlight why darcs is a viable choice due to its unique, and surprisingly fresh and straightforward, approach which is rooted in mathematics and how it differs from pretty much every other VCS that is current being used.
Darcs’ patch theory offers a unique why to work in a non-centralized way. This can be used to structure alternative workflows, as well as an underlying model for synchronizing data between multiple peers in applications.
Darcs’ workflow is intuitive and easy to grasp, even though the underlying formalism is incredibly powerful. Raichoo Ketchum presents how release engineering can benefit from this model and how it can reduce cognitive and organizational overhead in project management.