[Gnu-arch-users] Re: tagline robustness

[Miles Bader]

Adam Sampson <address@hidden> writes:
> On a tangent, all the proposals I've seen so far have "arch" in the
> name -- wouldn't unique tags be useful for other version control
> systems too, and thus be worth designing as a cross-system standard?

Yeah, that occured to me too, though it's probably not a pressing
concern; as far as I know only arch currently uses file-embedded unique
ids (other systems like bitkeeper seem to use the equivalent of arch's
`external' tags), and it seems easy enough to upgrade arch later to
support both if a `standard' name/syntax is created.

You're right though, it might make sense to approach other
source-control projects and ask if they want to do do this.  Taglines
seem like one of the easiest of arch's kewl features for others to
implement...  Having support in other systems would offer tangible
benefits for both users and for arch, and it would probably make it
easier to get such tags added to the canonical sources of common source
bases.*

[It's an obvious advantage for users because it would make importing
sources much smoother and make it easier to move sources between
different SCSs; it's an advantage for arch because it would make it
easier for people to try arch out, and so presumably arch's other
advantages would come to the fore.]

* For instance, I've wondered what would happen if I tried to get
  arch-id: lines added to Linus's source tree -- assuming it was OK with
  Linus, would McVoy go apeshit and threaten to withdraw bitkeeper
  support completely ("you're supporting a competing SCS -- no bitkeeper
  for you!")?  If he did, what would Linus's reaction be?

  OTOH, if bitkeeper were able to use embedded tags itself, it would
  only make sense to use a `standard' format for them, and surely even
  Larry could stomach that...

-miles
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