I am investigating setting up a development and test environment with version control using Git on a Heroku like service such as AppFog or other, preferably Australian system. My internet speed is pathetic so I need an ISP in close proximity.

Research indicates that Heroku is no good for Drupal version control so I am seeking the experience of others as to which provider is the better for Drupal.

Also, It would appear that version control needs to affect only parts of the /sites folder so I'm guessing that modules and core can be listed in the .gitignore file along with the /files/ctools folder and others. Once the theme is established that too could be in .gitignore. In Rails one must compile all the assets, css and images before pushing, would this apply to a Drupal push also.

So I'm guessing that Git and the dev/test environment changes would be content type creation and alteration, Rules, Views, Taxonomy setup/change and once content types are finalised they too could be in .gitignore

The ISP service won't, if they are like Heroku permit images to be stored in the /files/images folder so development could be hampered unless one can find a way to "grab" the images from the current production /sites/files/images folder or some other read only directory on the production site outside the Drupal installation.

Are these valid assumptions? What else should I consider and address? I would appreciate any advice on setup, gotchas and difficulties together with experiences good or bad.

Thank you in advance, any help is greatly appreciated. Roger