#What is this thing?
Boar aims to be the perfect way to make sure your most important digital information, like pictures, movies and documents, are stored safely. 

  * Boar makes it possible for you to restore any or all of your files from any point in time.
  * Boar makes it easy to maintain verified backups of your data, including file history.
  * Boar imposes no limits on file or repository sizes.
  * Using boar is an effective way to prevent data loss due to human or machine error.

If you are familiar with vcs software such as Subversion, you might think of boar as "version control for large binary files". But keep reading, because there is more to it.

Boar stores snapshots of directory trees in a local or remote repository and provides tools to ensure that your data is consistent and complete. You can keep just some or all of your data checked out for viewing and editing. 

The repository has a simple layout to ensure that the data can easily be extracted even if the original software should be unavailable. This simplicity makes boar ideal for data that needs safe long-term storage.

For more on the project, check out the [FAQ](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/wiki/FAQ). If you are still wondering why the heck the world needs another VCS or Backup software, *please read the [Rationale](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/wiki/Rationale)*.

#What do I need to run it?
Boar is written in Python and tested on Windows and Linux. The Windows installer is self-contained. On Linux, you will need python 2.6 or higher. Also, you should know that boar is (so far) a command line tool and will require some basic command line skills.

#Sounds great! How do I get started?
First, download boar from the [downloads page](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/downloads).Then the [Quickstart guide](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/wiki/Quickstart) and the [Command Reference](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/wiki/CommandReference) should get you going. You might also want to check out the [FAQ](https://bitbucket.org/mats_ekberg/boar/wiki/FAQ).

#Contact and contributions
More questions, or ready to help out? Check out the [Google Groups BoarVCS](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/boarvcs). Patches and suggestions are more than welcome. You can also reach the author directly at ekberg@gmail.com. The permanent address of this project is http://www.boarvcs.org, although it just redirects to the google project page currently.

[![Donate](https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif)](https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=ekberg%40gmail%2ecom&lc=SE&item_name=Mats%20Ekberg%20%2f%20boar%20development&item_number=boar&currency_code=USD&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF%3abtn_donateCC_LG%2egif%3aNonHosted)

Boar is free software, but if you feel like donating a small sum, you are very welcome. Just use the paypal donate button above. 
