Chapter 8: Source Control Rules

Source control is an essential mechanism for remote pair programming, and it's for this reason that it deserves a dedicated chapter. After discussing source control rules in Chapter 5, Remote Pair Programming Setup, it's time to explain those rules. Sure—it's good to have rules, guidelines, and good practices, but it's also very important to understand the reasons behind having those rules. And as I have never seen in my life a rule without exceptions, it's also important to know the underlying necessity of that rule so that you know when to bend or disregard it. Of course, a rule remains a rule and a guideline remains a guideline, therefore they shouldn't be overtaken by their exceptions.

After a short recap of all the rules and guidelines that we have gone through during this book, we will get to explanations for each one of them. If you are an experienced programmer, pair programmer, or remote pair programmer...