Re: Source Code Control

Tom Lucas wrote:
"toby" <toby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1162909264.750932.91420@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tom Lucas wrote:
In the past our source code control has been based largely around CD
backups and individual's memories of why a change was made and where
the
source is stored. ...
What method/package would people recommend? I've read through the
"Alternatives to Visual Source Safe" thread from July and people
there
seemed to advocate CVS/SVN and PVCS. Noone seems to like VSS.

I would need something that would run on Windows, ...

What do you reckon?

I've been using Subversion for a few years. The pluses:
- easy to learn/admin/use

It would need to be for me to attempt it ;-) Once up and running does it
need much maintenance or is it just a case of making sure it is storing
to a backed up medium?

- supported by many client tools/plugins on all platforms

IAR reckons they support systems that conform to the Microsoft SCC
interface - does that include Subversion?

In practice you can use Subversion without IDE integration (works
nicely under the Microchip IDE, for instance). No idea about SCC
support, but MS would be actively militating against any open source
solutions, this is their idea of supporting their customers' best
interests.

Also Rowley's Crossworks
supports Microsoft Visual SourceSafe, SourceGear SourceOffSite 3.5.1 and
CVS so would I be right in assuming that Subversion would be OK too?

- very reliable
- powerful CLI

Hopefully a GUI too :-)

Several.


- atomic commits (incl renaming), unlike CVS

I'm not entirely sure what that is. Does it mean you can rename a file
in a project without having to roll the build number of the whole
project?

Every change to a Subversion repository increments the revision number.
CVS does not support rename operations at all; Svn implements renames
(on directories or files) as a history-preserving copy plus a delete of
the original object, wrapped in a transaction. CVS cannot commit a
group of changes in a single revision (transaction).

Atomic commits allow you to group related or interdependent changes and
thereby aid consistency (e.g. buildability) of your code base at any
moment in time.


- convenient protocols (e.g. http/https)
- smoothly supports distributed development
- very easy to integrate with and extend (issue trackers, repository
browsers, etc)

I forgot to mention, "cheap (almost free) tagging".

If you want to see the kind of free and commercial tools that are
layered on top of Subversion, here's Cenqua's FishEye advanced
repository browser as installed on my site:
https://www.telegraphics.com.au/fisheye/


The only qualification might be if you're working with huge codebases,
you may want the rumoured speed benefits of a commercial package like
Perforce.

The quantity of code is fairly small but. I have a big graphics library
though and there are a fair few files (thousands) in it. However, it
rarely changes so I wouldn't check it out often.

Subversion will handle that just fine. I've worked with multi-gigabyte
repositories of binary files. If you were churning many large binary
files, you may find Svn a bit sluggish, but if they're not changing
frequently, there's no problem -- server operations (updates, commits)
are based on differences only.

It's more the number of
slightly different versions of the same application code that needs to
be kept on top of. Presumably I could use the same piece of code across
many projects if it is common to all?

Yes, that's just an organisation issue. Svn gives you freedom to use
whatever directory structure suits you, it doesn't impose an
organisation (beyond a loose recommendation).


As for VSS... the definitive summary is: "Visual SourceSafe? It would
be safer to print out all your code, run it through a shredder, and
set
it on fire."
(via
http://jeremycoenen.com/blog/index.php/archive/subversion-just-plain-rocks/
)

It probably costs a fortune too.

I've recently heard quotes for commercial VCS, at a site already
happily and effectively using Subversion, in five to six figure range.


Thanks
Tom


.

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