I’ve been using Subversion nearly every day for over two years now, primarily from the command-line. At first I was a little bit nervous using the command-line interface for everything, but through necessity I eventually got comfortable with it. I’m quite glad I overcame that initial reluctance because version control is one of the most valuable tools a developer can wield. (You are using version control, right?)

I think the geeky nature of version control has discouraged designers from adopting Subversion, which is too bad because there are many benefits to keeping HTML and CSS under version control. I’m sure everyone’s had an experience where editing files via FTP has resulted in lost changes, or saving over someone else’s work.

Tools like Versions and Beanstalk are removing the stigma attached to using version control. In fact, these tools make Subversion look downright cool. Though it may seem superficial, a sexy web interface and OS X application make Subversion appealing to those who feel intimidated by the command-line, which effectively increases the overall value of Subversion. Afterall, the more people in our shop using version control, the better.

Now if only git could get a facelift…