TortoiseGit vs Git Extensions

Question

What are the benefits and disadvantage of using either Git Extensions or TortoiseGit on a Windows Based OS?

Answer 1

I don't have much experience with TortoiseGit, but I installed, and am currently using GitExtensions v2.21.

The biggest advantages with using GitExtensions:

• visual gitk-like graphical display of codelines and branches, with all essential info available in tabs, eliminating any need to work with the unfriendly SHA's.
• ability to install as Administrator and all other users on the same PC can use it just like any regular user.
• built-in shell integration with Windows Explorer
• out of the box integration with Visual Studio (Windows Eclipse users only need msysgit, as they have their own GUI to replace the need for GitExtensions)
• easy to use installer that comes pre-packaged with all necessary and pre-requisite functionality to start out of the box (SSH Client, KDiff, msysgit).
• integration with GitHub (Fork,clone, pull are all streamlined)

Disadvantages:

• documentation does not keep up with the new features constantly being added. For example, I still don't know how to use the scripting features.

Lest we forget that it is a completely free program, and offered to us as an option with no strings attached, I don't see the rationale for such high expectations placed upon it, as if we were paid clients? I have seen some of the aborts and freezing that the previous user mentioned, but I believe the majority of that has been fixed in v2.24. Alot of the aborts and failed actions are really not the fault of GitExtensions, but more a symptom of a systemic problem outside of GitExtensions (eg. misconfigured SSH setup, file permissions issues on the server hosting the remote repo, etc). For example, there was one time when I did a simple push which caused fail and abort. It turns out that the remote I was trying to push to was on a very long pathname which was causing problems for the Mac server that hosted the repo.

Anyways, that said however, my experience with GitExtensions has been fairly positive. I find the benefits outlined above have made it worthwhile to put up with the occasional aborts and freezes until the bugs are fixed.