(emacs.info) Branches

(emacs.info) Secondary VC Commands
 
 Multiple Branches of a File
 ---------------------------
 
    One use of version control is to maintain multiple "current"
 versions of a file.  For example, you might have different versions of a
 program in which you are gradually adding various unfinished new
 features.  Each such independent line of development is called a
 "branch".  VC allows you to create branches, switch between different
 branches, and merge changes from one branch to another.  Please note,
 however, that branches are only supported for RCS at the moment.
 
    A file's main line of development is usually called the "trunk".
 The versions on the trunk are normally numbered 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.  At
 any such version, you can start an independent branch.  A branch
 starting at version 1.2 would have version number 1.2.1.1, and
 consecutive versions on this branch would have numbers 1.2.1.2,
 1.2.1.3, 1.2.1.4, and so on.  If there is a second branch also starting
 at version 1.2, it would consist of versions 1.2.2.1, 1.2.2.2, 1.2.2.3,
 etc.
 
    If you omit the final component of a version number, that is called a
 "branch number".  It refers to the highest existing version on that
 branch--the "head version" of that branch.  The branches in the example
 above have branch numbers 1.2.1 and 1.2.2.
(emacs.info) Branches

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