Branches aren't important. If you ever used pre-git, they were a massive PITA that small teams wouldn't bother with.
And being able to visit old code? I can't remember a single instance in my career where that was important. I can imagine scenarios where it might be, but they've never happened in real life. The other thing I realised is that most source control systems are useless if you change a file's name, you can get to the old file, but you simply can't be bothered. So it's actually easy to effectively 'lose' old code through refactors.
Source control is great for looking up the 'why' of what you did 6 months later and for backups.
And being able to visit old code? I can't remember a single instance in my career where that was important. I can imagine scenarios where it might be, but they've never happened in real life. The other thing I realised is that most source control systems are useless if you change a file's name, you can get to the old file, but you simply can't be bothered. So it's actually easy to effectively 'lose' old code through refactors.
Source control is great for looking up the 'why' of what you did 6 months later and for backups.