How do I begin using SVN?

Question

I am ready to start using SVN, but I have NO (as in the money required for free beer) experience with source control. I have installed subversion on my server (that was eas

Answer 1

Eric Sink has an excellent series on source code control aimed at beginners. For Subversion specifics, including setting up and administering a server, the Subversion book is a great resource, and includes a section with examples of a typical session with Subversion (checkout, commit, merging and updating basics).

Update: I forgot to mention that for beginners, I'd also recommend messing around in a graphical client, which removes the command-line hassle from the learning experience. RapidSVN is a reasonable cross-platform client. You'll also find that common IDEs either come with Subversion support, or have plugins which can be installed, which allow most version control operations to be performed within that environment.

@John Millikin: While setting up a Subversion server can be complicated, depending on one's general admin experience, don't forget that you don't need to do that just to mess about with a repository and get to grips with the basics - the client can interact with a repository in the local filesystem.