Skip to main content
forking

forking

6.1
Copying a project's code to make a separate version to work on
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔrkɪŋ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : bifurcación
  • The developer created a new forking of the project to add unique features that suited their needs.

Examples

  • I was not comparing Samsung's content selling ability to Amazon's, but their OS-forking ability.

    Blog text (27)
  • There was Unix from AT&T or Bell Labs and then there was a fork of that from Berkeley, which was called BSD.

  • Many open-source projects encourage forking so that developers can customize the software for their own purposes.

  • After forking the repository, the team was able to implement their own changes without affecting the original code.

Synonyms

fork
vsforking
  • Specialized
5 6.9

A copy of a software project that people change separately from the original

describes the action of making a separate project from an existing repository

Antonyms

4 3.7

Brings people or things together into one group

1 3.0

The act of joining two or more things into one

How Divergent

branching
8 3.4
forking
  • Jargon
6.1
diverging
5.4

Surface Forms

forking singular
forkings plural

Morphology

forking = fork (semi-transparent) = fork + ing

The computing sense is a metaphorical extension of physical 'forking' and requires domain knowledge of software repositories.

Etymology

Forking comes from fork, the tool with prongs that point in different directions, giving the image of a split path. In software, forking means copying a project to make a new, separate version, so the code can be developed independently.