Now in Public Beta: The NEW Tower

Our Development Philosophy (2): Collaboration & Testing

There are lots of books about programming languages and frameworks - but only few resources that deal with "softer" topics like testing and collaboration in a software project. Part 2 of our "Development Philosophy" talks about just that!

Our Development Philosophy (1): Architecture, Design Patterns and Programming Principles

Contrary to popular belief, software development is not about mastering a programming language. The real art begins when application architecture, modularity, and good habits become more important than lines of code.

A Big Update for Tower for Windows

We're excited to launch Tower for Windows 1.2 - the free update brings a big boost to performance and adds another round of highly anticipated features.

You might be a nerd if...

Do you qualify for the title of 'Nerd'? We have compiled a couple of sure-fire signals that help you find out!

Tips & Tricks for Tower - Part 4

In this fourth episode of our "Tips & Tricks" series, we've compiled 5 tips that help you become more productive with Tower. Let's go!

When it's Time to Start Using Version Control

Sometimes, life gives signals: it wants us to wash the dishes, plant a tree, or simply start using version control. Our (fun) infographic tells you when it's time for the latter.

Tips & Tricks for Tower - Part 3

In our "Tips & Tricks" series, we'd like to teach you some tricks to become more productive with Tower. Here is episode #3!

May the Fork Be with You

If Jedi Knights have their own way of saying 'good luck', then why shouldn't software developers have theirs!? Today, we're proud to finally say: May the fork be with you!

Tips & Tricks for Tower - Part 2

This is episode #2 in our "Tips & Tricks" series: 5 animated GIFs help you become more productive with Tower.

An Illustrated History of iOS

The iPhone was one of the most exciting new products of this millenia. But as amazing as the device may be, the real superstar is the software that drives it! Take a seat and enjoy our wonderful "Illustrated History of iOS".

An Illustrated History of Microsoft Windows

Our Illustrated History of Microsoft Windows takes you on a wonderful journey through time: from the first Windows 1.0 in 1985 to the world's most popular operating system that we now know. Enjoy the ride!

Tips & Tricks for Tower - Part 1

In this first episode of our "Tips & Tricks" series, we've compiled 5 animated GIFs that help you become more productive with Tower. Let's go!

Diff Tools on Windows

Understanding how a software project evolves is hard. However, a good Diff tool can make this much easier. To help you pick the right tool, we've compiled a short list of the best "Diff Tools" on Windows.

Optimize Your Websites: Our new Guide is Here

With our goal in mind to help you become a better developer, we're extremely happy to announce a brand-new, extensive and totally free tutorial & ebook for you!

The Developer Manifesto

Coding is an art. The Developer Manifesto pays homage to the art and profession of software development. Take a look and see for yourself.

git push coffee me

What's the most important Git command? We can't say for sure, but here's our suggestion: "git push coffee me"...

New Year, New Releases - for both Mac and Windows

We’re excited to start the new year with new releases for Tower - both for Mac and Windows. New features, speed improvements, and much more.

Chuck Norris and the Mountain Lion

What sounds like the beginning of a (very strange) fairy tale is in fact even cooler: we are launching our own "Tower Stuff Store" with some really awesome T-shirts and posters. And to celebrate the launch, all products are 20% off until December 4th!

The best Git Client has Finally Arrived on Windows

Today is the day: we are publicly launching version 1 of Tower for Windows! It took us many years of hard work and over 216,000 lines of native C# code - but we're proud to release a beautiful, user-friendly, and powerful desktop client for Git.

Tower 2.5 is Here - 100 Improvements + New Features

It's been more than two years since we've launched Tower 2. Since then we shipped 28 updates with improvements and new features. Today we’re thrilled to announce Tower 2.5 - our biggest update yet. Instead of shipping a paid upgrade, we decided to keep improving version 2 and are happy to announce that Tower 2.5 is a free update for existing users!

An Illustrated History of macOS

To celebrate the new "macOS Sierra", we've updated our popular infosite: "An Illustrated History of macOS" takes you on a wonderful journey - through the history of both macOS and, well... big cats!

Now in Beta: Tower for Windows is Coming

After years of hard work, Tower is finally coming to Windows! We are now inviting beta testers from around the world to be amongst the first to test-drive this new Tower version.

The Average Developer on the Mac

Over 7,000 web and software developers on the Mac took part in our survey - and helped us paint a picture of the "Average Developer on the Mac".

Results Are Here: The Great Mac Developer Survey 2016

We were overwhelmed by the response: over 7,200 developers from 108 countries took the time to participate in our first Mac Developer Survey.

On-Premise Source Code Management - 7 Git Hosting Platforms Compared

Today, every company is a software company. In any industry, code has become one of the most business-critical assets. As a result, storing, securing and collaborating around code has become an important challenge for enterprises large and small.

App Design on Yosemite

Mac OS X has hit the streets with its latest version - and so has Tower 2. We've invested countless hours to fully adapt to Yosemite's new design language. Read about what it takes to make an app feel really at home on Mac OS 10.10.

12 Git Hosting Services Compared

The Great Mac Developer Survey

Are you working as a web or software developer on the Mac? Then participate in our 7-minute survey and win 1 of 120 awesome prizes!

8 Reasons Why Code Breaks

Sometimes, a simple typo can really be the root of all evil. But more often, the reason why code breaks is more complex. And yet, it can be avoided.

5 Tips to be More Productive with "Dash"

With today's wealth of frameworks, libraries and platforms, I don't know a programmer who doesn't have to look up things constantly. "Dash", a great little app for Mac OS, solves this problem by providing fast and easy access to over 150 API docs. Read on to learn how to get the most out of Dash!

Posting to Twitter, Facebook & Co. from Within Your App

Do you want your app to post to social media platforms? In this guest post, Emy Carlan shows you three ways to (programmatically) get your posts out into social media land.

Working with CodeKit and Git

Bryan Jones, the creator of CodeKit himself, speaks to us. About using CodeKit and Git side by side. And about his relationship to Git.

Sketch for Developers

Sketch is a popular graphic design tool for Mac OS. But, unlike the 800-pound Photoshop-Gorilla, it's a design tool that proves valuable for developers, too.

New Services in Tower 2.3

Cloning and creating repos with a single click - that's what Tower's "Services" manager allows to do. Since Tower 2.3, this is now also possible with your GitHub Enterprise, Bitbucket Server / Atlassian Stash, GitLab, and Perforce GitSwarm accounts!

The Best Programming Books - A Post-Santa Giveaway

I hope that Santa was generous with you! But just in case he wasn't: we're giving away three of our all-time favorite programming books!

Customer Support Tools: Zendesk vs. Desk vs. Freshdesk

Managing customer feedback is critical to the success of any business. Thankfully, a couple of great tools have emerged to make this easier. In this post, we're comparing three of the most popular ones.

1 Product - 70 Repositories

For almost 5 years, the fournova team has been working exclusively on a single product: Tower, our Git desktop client. From the outside, one might think that a bare handful of Git repositories should be enough to run the show.
In fact, however, we have over 70 Git repositories to manage. Here's an overview of what powers Tower and fournova.

The Tools That Run fournova

We're a very small company. Actually, with only 8 people, the word "tiny" would be even more adequate. But no matter the size, if you're working together in a team and want to deliver high quality in your work, you need the help of professional tools.

Here's an overview of the toolchain we use at fournova while making Tower.

Yosemite App Design Checklist

Designing apps for Mac OS 10.10 has its own rules. We've noted some of them in a handy little checklist when we recently updated Tower for Yosemite.

Learn Git - Submodules & Git-Flow

With over 500,000 readers, our "learn" section is one of the most popular resources for learning Git and version control. To help you get even smarter, we've just added two new chapters - explaining "Submodules" and "git-flow".

Being More Productive with LaunchBar

The right tools can save you tons of time. One of these tools is LaunchBar.
We'll show you how to be more productive as a developer with this little app.

Building Your Own Blog

It's 2015 - and yet we just relaunched our blog with a custom, home-made solution. We're well aware of all the great blogging platforms and systems out there. But we had a couple of good reasons to go custom.

6 Tips to be More Productive with »Xcode 8«

It's important to know an application inside out when you spend a lot of time in it. And for most iOS & Mac developers, Xcode is the application they spend virtually all of their time in.
In this article, we've compiled 6 tips that help you become more productive with Xcode 8.

Become a Better Programmer: 5 Essential Methods at a Glance

Developing software in a professional way is more than just the simple act of 'coding'. To grow as a programmer, you'll have to master other practices as well. We've compiled an overview of 5 tools and methods that are timeless classics by now.

Finding the Right Text Editor

There's definitely no shortage of text editors on the Mac. Quite the contrary: today, developers can choose from more great tools than ever. With this abundance of tools, however, the question is not how to find a "good" tool per se - but how to find the right tool for your needs. Luckily, text editors differ vastly in features and philosophy. By determining what general type of tool you're looking for, your options suddenly become manageable.

Understanding Rebase (And Merge) in Git

This is an excerpt from our new ebook "Learn Version Control with Git". Read the full article in our free online book.

Understanding the Concept of Branches in Git

This is an excerpt from our new ebook "Learn Version Control with Git". Read the full article in our free online book!

Switching from Subversion to Git

This is an excerpt from our new ebook Learn Version Control with Git. Read the full article in our free online book.

Leave a Task Unfinished

Some mornings, it's really tough to get started. Dennis Reimann, famous for his iOctocat iOS app, has found a nice litte routine that kickstarts his day.
This is a guest post in our series 'A Word of Advice', where we're asking successful developers, designers, and entrepreneurs to share a bit from their experience.

Don't Do It Yourself

Doing things yourself has many advantages: you can save money, you have everything under control, etc. But it also has some serious downsides. And over time, they clearly came to outweigh the advantages for us!

The Basic Workflow of Git

When you're starting to use version control with Git, you first need to understand the 'big picture': What does a general workflow look like? Which steps are involved? What do they do? In our infographic, we provide a breakdown of a typical workflow with version control. Download it for free!

Command Line Cheat Sheet

For many, the command line belongs to long gone days: when computers were controlled by typing mystical commands into a black window; when the mouse possessed no power.
But for many use cases, the command line is still absolutely indispensable! Our new cheat sheet is here to help all 'command line newbies': it not only features the most important commands but also a few tips & tricks that make working with the CLI a lot easier.