Re: VCS systems on linux
Marc Shapiro <mshapiro_42@yahoo.com> writes:
> I have never used a VCS before, but I have a question about them. I
> just got a programming job again (after about 13 years). I hate to
> admit, but it is on M$ using VB 6. The company uses Source Safe,
> which has what I consider to be a really big flaw and I am hoping to
> verify that the standard vcs's in linux manage this problem better.
>
> This project contains over 50 classes, a similar number of forms, and
> dozens of non-class modules. Obviously there are a lot of
> interconnections between all of these files. The problem is this:
> When you check out a file the system gives you a fresh, up-to-date
> copy of the file, but tells you nothing about changes to other files
> that the file checked out file is dependant on that my have changed.
> This means there could easily be dozens of other files that have
> changes in them that you actually need to update on your system before
> you will be able to compile and run the program. You find out about
> these only when you do try to run the program and get errors due to
> changed funtion signatures, missing functions and simply changed
> funtionality within existing funtions called from the checked out file
> but residing in other files.
>
> Please tell me that linux's vcs systems handle this better by keeping
> track of file dependancies.
Well, not exactly. CVS only does vcs-per-file. That is, it doesn't
know anything about the interrelationship between files.
The new generation vcs', like subversion and arch does keep track of
batches of dependencies. That is, say you change file A and B (which
depends on each other), and check them in together, then in Subversion,
they have the same version number. So, if you check out by version
number, you will get all the files (and older) that got checked in for
that version.
OTOH, if you are checking out a specific file, I don't know any vcs that
will check out all files that this specific file depend on.
--
John L. Fjellstad
web: http://www.fjellstad.org/ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes
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