What is CVS for? What does it do for me?

CVS is used to keep track of collections of files in a shared directory called "The Repository". Each collection of files can be given a "module" name, which is used to "checkout" that collection. After checkout, files can be modified (using your favorite editor), "committed" back into the Repository and compared against earlier revisions. Collections of files can be "tagged" with a symbolic name for later retrieval. You can add new files, remove files you no longer want, ask for information about sets of files in three different ways, produce patch "diffs" from a base revision and merge the committed changes of other developers into your working files.