Recipe#4: Install an SVN Server

Even if you are the sole programmer on any project, it is imperative that you use version control for your source code and documentation. I use Apache Subversion (SVN) for, among other things:

1. Be able to revert to a previous version of an application, either because my current working copy is corrupted or full of unanticipated bugs.
2. Sharing the project with other developers for collaboration or contribution.
3. Maintaining multiple branches or tagging code at specific milestones.

To use SVN in development, you need an SVN server and SVN client. I use Visual SVN for the server component, installed on a separate machine than what I use for development. VisualSVN is easy to manage and configure, but I mostly like its ability to authenticate via Windows users or your own creations, and access to the checked-in artifacts over HTTP(s) (browser and clients).

On why you have no excuse for not using source versioning:
http://betterexplained.com/articles/a-visual-guide-to-version-control/
http://www.relisoft.com/co_op/whyvcs.html
http://www.mactech.com/articles/mactech/Vol.14/14.06/VersionControlAndTheDeveloper/index.html
http://jamesmckay.net/2009/06/why-would-anyone-not-use-source-control/
http://www.soundsoftware.ac.uk/why-version-control