Differential D25007 Diff 23 src/docs/flavor/project_history.diviner

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	@title Phabricator Project History			@title Phorge Project History
	@group lore			@group lore

	A riveting tale of adventure. In this document, I refer to worldly and			A riveting tale of adventure.
	sophisticated engineer Evan Priestley as "I", which is only natural as I am he.

	This document is mostly just paragraph after paragraph of self-aggrandizement.

	= In The Beginning =			= In The Beginning =

	I wrote the original version of Differential in one night at a Facebook			Evan Priestley wrote the original version of Differential in one night at a
	Hackathon in April or May 2007, along with Luke Shepard. I joined the company in			Facebook Hackathon in April or May 2007, along with Luke Shepard. He joined the
	April and code review was already an established and mostly-mandatory part of			company in April and code review was already an established and mostly-mandatory
	the culture, but it happened over email and was inefficient and hard to keep			part of the culture, but it happened over email and was inefficient and hard to
	track of. I remember feeling like I was spending a lot of time waiting for code			keep track of. Evan remembers feeling like he was spending a lot of time waiting
	review to happen, which was a major motivator for building the tool.			for code review to happen, which was a major motivator for building the tool.

	The original name of the tool was "Diffcamp". Some time earlier there had been			The original name of the tool was "Diffcamp". Some time earlier there had been
	an attempt to create a project management tool that was a sort of hybrid between			an attempt to create a project management tool that was a sort of hybrid between
	Trac and Basecamp called "Traccamp". Since we were writing the code review tool			Trac and Basecamp called "Traccamp". Since they were writing the code review tool
	at the height of the brief popularity Traccamp enjoyed, we integrated and called			at the height of the brief popularity Traccamp enjoyed, Evan and Luke integrated
	the new tool Diffcamp even though it had no relation to Basecamp. Traccamp fell			and called the new tool Diffcamp even though it had no relation to Basecamp.
	by the wayside shortly thereafter and was eventually removed.			Traccamp fell by the wayside shortly thereafter and was eventually removed.

	However, Diffcamp didn't share its fate. We spent some more time working on it			However, Diffcamp didn't share its fate. Evan and Luke spent some more time
	and got good enough to win hearts and minds over emailing diffs around and was			working on it and got good enough to win hearts and minds over emailing diffs
	soon the de facto method of code review at Facebook.			around and was soon the de facto method of code review at Facebook.

	= The Long Bloat =			= The Long Bloat =

	For the next two and a half years, Diffcamp grew mostly organically and gained a			For the next two and a half years, Diffcamp grew mostly organically and gained a
	number of features like inline commenting, CLI support and git support (Facebook			number of features like inline commenting, CLI support and git support (Facebook
	was 100% SVN in early 2007 but 90%+ of Engineers worked primarily in git with			was 100% SVN in early 2007 but 90%+ of Engineers worked primarily in git with
	SVN bridging by 2010). As these patches were contributed pretty much randomly,			SVN bridging by 2010). As these patches were contributed pretty much randomly,
	it also gained a lot of performance problems, usability issues, and bugs.			it also gained a lot of performance problems, usability issues, and bugs.

	Through 2007 and 2008 I worked mostly on frontend and support infrastructure;			Through 2007 and 2008 Evan worked mostly on frontend and support infrastructure;
	among other things, I wrote a static resource management system called Haste. In			among other things, he wrote a static resource management system called Haste.
	2009 I worked on the Facebook Lite site, where I built the Javelin Javascript			In 2009 Evan worked on the Facebook Lite site, where he built the Javelin
	library and an MVC-flavored framework called Alite.			Javascript library and an MVC-flavored framework called Alite.

	But by early 2010, Diffcamp was in pretty bad shape. Two years of having random			But by early 2010, Diffcamp was in pretty bad shape. Two years of having random
	features grafted onto it without real direction had left it slow and difficult			features grafted onto it without real direction had left it slow and difficult
	to use. Internal feedback on the tool was pretty negative, with a lot of			to use. Internal feedback on the tool was pretty negative, with a lot of
	complaints about performance and stability. The internal XTools team had made			complaints about performance and stability. The internal XTools team had made
	inroads at fixing these problems in late 2009, but they were stretched thin and			inroads at fixing these problems in late 2009, but they were stretched thin and
	the tool had become a sprawling landscape of architectural and implementation			the tool had become a sprawling landscape of architectural and implementation
	problems.			problems.

	= Differential =			= Differential =

	I joined the new Dev Tools team around February 2010 and took over Diffcamp. I			Evan joined the new Dev Tools team around February 2010 and took over Diffcamp.
	renamed it to Differential, moved it to a new Alite-based infrastructure with			He renamed it to Differential, moved it to a new Alite-based infrastructure with
	Javelin, and started making it somewhat less terrible. I eventually wrote			Javelin, and started making it somewhat less terrible. He eventually wrote
	Diffusion and built Herald to replace a very difficult-to-use predecessor. These			Diffusion and built Herald to replace a very difficult-to-use predecessor. These
	tools were less negatively received than the older versions. By December 2010 I			tools were less negatively received than the older versions. By December 2010,
	started open sourcing them; Haste became //Celerity// and Alite became			Evan started open sourcing them; Haste became //Celerity// and Alite became
	//Aphront//. I wrote Maniphest to track open issues with the project in January			//Aphront//. He wrote Maniphest to track open issues with the project in January
	or February, left Facebook in April, and shortly after, we open sourced			or February, left Facebook in April, and shortly after, open sourced
	Phabricator.			Phabricator.

				= Phork =
				In 2021, Evan announced that Phabricator was no longer maintained. A group of
				open-source contributors came together and forked it. This new
				group called renamed the project "Phorge" and continues to maintain this
				beloved and well-used project.