Re: future of cvs

[Paul Sander]

On Sep 5, 2005, at 1:30 AM, address@hidden wrote:

> Mark D. Baushke wrote:
> > address@hidden <address@hidden> writes:
> > > we are using cvs for already 5 years in a 3500 files/500 folders
> > > project (php) and time comes for rearranging file structure a bit.
> > Yup, that time comes to most projects eventually.
>
> I wonder how other projects using cvs solve this?

There are a number of methods listed in the CVS manual.  The ones 
discussed most often in this forum are to export/rearrange/import into 
a new module, do remove/add/commit sequences with suitable comments, 
and copy RCS files in the repository.  I have personally had some 
success creating new directory structures in the repository and then 
hard-linking the RCS files into the new structure.  But all of the 
methods described have serious drawbacks.

> > Hmmm... I am not aware of anything particular on the roadmap for
> > supporting file structure reorganzation, but if you have suggestions 
> > or
> > code to contribute, we can discuss it on the address@hidden 
> > mailing
> > list (or address@hidden if you have patches to be considered).
>
> We are php people. I am afraid we can't contribute in C.
>
> Is it possible the repository to be touched carefully for 
> file/directory renaming purpose? I read somewhere that the human 
> readable form of the cvs repository is an advantage over subversion. 
> What will happen if we simply rearrange the repository (the folders 
> and ,v files there) and checkout again?

You can, but if you do the reorg in-place then you lose the ability to 
recover old configurations in the proper shape.  If you copy the RCS 
files in a new directory structure with the new shape, then you double 
the size of your repository and retrain the users.  There are also 
hidden costs with respect to having the users repopulate their 
workspace, debugging problems when they don't, and having your existing 
baselines go out of date.
--
Paul Sander       | "When a true genius appears in the world, you may
address@hidden | know him by this sign:  that all the dunces are in
                  | confederacy against him."  -- Jonathan Swift, 
writer.