Patrick Permien

• This paper gives an overview of the advantages and weaknesses of distributed source code review tools in software engineering. We cover this topic with a specific focus on Google’s freely available software Gerrit. In chapter 1 we discuss how code-reviews are generally useful for groups of programmers. We lay out how traditional approaches differ from distributed setups where developers may be vastly distributed from a geographical point of view or where meetings are otherwise contraindicated. In chapter 2 we discuss how users can interact with Gerrit, and chapter 3 covers some basic knowledge for those people who have to administer one or more Gerrit installations. Finally, chapter 4 summarizes key points and gives an outlook on the future role of distributed code-review.