For those who are stuck with existing svn repositories, git-svn is also worth a look. I've started using it a little while ago and so far find it an excellent way to get some more git usage in my workflow.
If you are looking for something with a web front end I have been working on a little project called GitHaven http://githaven.com/ and am looking for some beta testers for feedback. It has a web interface for managing users and repositories. It is a deb package so easy to install. I hang out in #githaven on freenode if anyone wants to discuss it.
I highly recommend gerrit for this purpose. It's easy to deploy, lets people manage their own ssh keys, and has a nice helping of code review on the side.
"...this is why I would never touch Subversion with a ten-foot pole. There is a massive subversion repository and it's where everybody has to write. And the centralized model just does not work..." - Linus Torvalds.
Of course this isn't quite the same thing, but Linus doesn't have a very high opinion of the people using his tool in this way. But, then again, Linus doesn't have a very high opinion of a lot of perfectly reasonable things that people do.
I think you are missing the thrust of Linus' point.
"... it's where everybody _has_ to write"
There is nothing wrong with an 'authoritative' repository to which everyone pushes. What is a problem for Linus, and many others, is when the authoritative repository is the _only_ repository and doing work locally or sharing work between users is impossible to do using the VCS tools and people resort to passing patches.
"It is meant for small teams who are adopting Git for the first time, and want to get started quickly with a familiar setup before exploring Git's many new possibilities."
"Work will proceed broadly as with any centralised VCS..."
Those two sentences had led me to believe that the article was telling you to use git the same way you would use a VCS tool. Which Linus would be opposed to. The whole point is that git allows you to change your behavior (work on branches for weeks at a time before checking back in, not have to be afraid of screwing up the repository with a small commit, etc.). If it doesn't change your behavior, there's not much point.
Of course, I think the article is more of a gateway introduction to git, to introduce you to it in a non-threatening way hoping it will change your behavior later. Linus just doesn't have much patience for that sort of thing. He will call you stupid and ugly for not doing it his way.
"So, I'm not saying, I am not going to force you to switch over to decentralized, I'm just going to call you ugly and stupid. That's the deal." - Linus
