Git
What is git?
Open source (free to use) Version control software. Usually accessed via the command line, or a client program.
Where did it come from?
Git development began in 2006 after many developers of the Linux kernel gave up access to BitKeeper (at the time the best but proprietary)
Linus Torvalds on the name git:
“I’m an egotistical bastard, and I name all my projects after myself. First ‘Linux’, now ‘git’
More on the name in the source code original readme file
Why use it in research?
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
