Is there a fundamental difference between backups and version control?

Question

How does version control differ from plain backups?

Let\'s forget about the feature decoration, and concentrate on the soul of version control. Is there a clear line

Answer 1

In my opinion, here are some minimum features of a VCS which may not be in a basic backup:

1. A VCS should store more than one versions (where as a backup might store only the latest last-known-good)

2. Because of 1., each version should be identified somehow (date, tag, version ID)

3. A VCS can typically support more than one concurrent user

4. A VCS for source code will normally have support for branching, merging, adding comments, and viewing deltas