Correlation does not imply causality, but there is a very strong correlation between using version control and doing good computational science. (There's an even stronger correlation between not using it and wasting effort.) Good record keeping is essential to good science; without the kind of record-keeping that version control provides, there's no way to know exactly who did what, when.
- Version control is a reliable way to share files between machines.
- It also allows people to work simultaneously by tracking and managing conflicts.
- And keeps a permanent history of what state programs, data, and documents were in at various times.
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