What is the purpose of version control?

The purpose of version control is to manage changes to source code over time. This system allows developers to track revisions, observe when changes were made, and who made them. By maintaining a history of changes, version control enables teams to collaborate more effectively, as multiple developers can work on different features or fixes simultaneously without overwriting each other's contributions. Additionally, it facilitates the ability to revert to previous versions, which is crucial for resolving errors or recovering from mistakes.

In contrast, recording only the final version would not leverage the benefits of incremental improvements and historical context, thus missing the collaborative and corrective functionalities that version control provides. Monitoring the pricing of software is unrelated to the management of source code, and developing user manuals does not involve tracking changes in the codebase, which is the core function of version control.