[dnc]

For grokking git, indispensable resource is git early dev mailing list and corresponding code base (first couple of months after project started). Linus explained it in very clear and precise way in the mailing list and related code. The initial code base is surprisingly small (around 1200 LOC of clear and precise C code). Used data structures are simple and self-explanatory. Although most of the original code is not in the git code base anymore, the data structures and main design ideas have stayed there intact so far.

[voltagex_]

I'm going to have to go through the archives later (anyone got an mbox?) but it's tricky to follow the early development. The archives seem to start at http://marc.info/?l=git&r=20&b=200504&w=2 and I don't see many design messages from Linus.

[coldpie]

I actually found gitcore-tutorial(7) to be a really great resource when I was learning git.