Versions Emerge(s) From the Vapors

Nearly a year after the initial hype, Mac Subversion client Versions has finally seen the light of day with the release of a beta that at first glance offers little that other clients don’t.

The opening line of the beta announcement sheepishly concedes the app’s impending vaporware contender status:

Versions one year anniversary – celebrating with an actual app!

While the interface is certainly slick, it remains to be seen whether a Mac-like look and feel and a bit of Beanstalk integration are enough to win over those who’ve made do with the various alternatives thus far.

Despite the variety of cross-platform and Mac-specific Subversion clients available, with the exception of the somewhat orphaned SCPlugin, each oddly seems to assume developers need yet another app running alongside their work just to interact with a version control system, instead of just blending into the woodwork like the venerable TortoiseSVN.

Sometimes beauty in UI design is less about lickability than invisibility…