[illume]

hg is easier to type than git. That's 33% better at least(with integer percentages, it's event better with float percentages... and even better with fractions).

Imagine typing git 20 times? Well can you see it now? Good.

NOW, imagine typing hg 20 times, that is 60 keys pressed, VS only 40 keys. You'll probably make less errors with 2 keys too.

git didn't bring anything new to version control... with it's 3 key system. svn had 3 letters, cvs even had 3 letters. However hg has brought a 33% improvement to version control -- with it's revolutionary 2 letter system.

Obviously a break through. Obviously fucking cool.

[silentbicycle]

You forgot about "git commit" vs. "hg ci".

The real reason is that git has Linus behind it, of course, and the fiasco with BitKeeper attracted a lot of attention. This led to tremendous buzz, and then the Ruby / Rails communities* (among others) started spreading and amplifying it. I see tons of blog posts about how git is the best thing ever, and it's a freaking version control system, you know? It's sort of like if people suddenly got singing-and-dancing-in-the-streets excited over a somewhat better version of make, or something. Think about that.

There are other DVCSs that are also quite good (I like Mercurial, for one), but a pretty good version control system can't compete with a pretty good version control system with a tidal wave of hype.

* Also, since the Rails people are themselves working on a popular web development system, they probably had a disproportionately large amount of influence among bloggers in tech circles.

[bayareaguy]

It's sort of like if people suddenly got singing-and-dancing-in-the-streets excited over a somewhat better version of make

I'd sing and dance for a somewhat better version of make that doesn't end up causing me more problems over time then it solves.

[silentbicycle]

I meant people in general, not programmers specifically.

People who wouldn't generally care about something like a VC system are excited about git because Linus is talking it up, I think.

[bkbleikamp]

I aliased "g" to "git" - problem solved + g is 50% better than hg, right?

[hs]

i aliased "" to "hg" ... oh wait ...

[mightybyte]

On the dvorak keyboard, this is not the case. Obviously hg is still shorter, but both letters are typed by the same finger which is slow.