[Gnu-arch-users] Re: tagging-method explicit implementation

[Mark A. Flacy]

>>>>> "Maksim" == Maksim Lin <address@hidden> writes:
Maksim> 
Maksim> Yes, yes & yes.
Maksim> I have been thinking the last couple of days about exactly the same 
thing.
Maksim> I completely agree that move operations are pretty infrequent, at least 
in Java
Maksim> programming (which is what I'm familiar with these days). In fact most 
movement
Maksim> is done when you refactor your code, which would normally involve 
moving files
Maksim> around to different directories rather then moving whole dirs 
themselves.  Plus
Maksim> these days alot of people use IDEs like Eclipse which have very nice 
support
Maksim> for refactoring your code automatically and could easily have a tla 
plugin take
Maksim> care of calling a "tla move" cmd for you (of course if I was using 
taglines
Maksim> the IDE wouldnt have to know about tla, but I think I will stick with 
explicit
Maksim> tags for the moment :-)
Maksim> 
Maksim> Now  Mark asked what problems get solved & what ones get created? well 
as I
Maksim> see it problems solved are:

Maksim> 1. no "shadow" id files, as there are now, one for every file in
Maksim>    the archive. 

*But why is that a problem?*

Maksim> 
Maksim> 2. if you go the "one big inventory file" route then no ".arch"
Maksim>    control subdirs scattered across the whole src tree, which makes
Maksim>    things much easier & faster for 3rd-party indexing tools like
Maksim>    the one I'm working on (an alternative to revision libraries).

I'm somewhat at a loss why tla/arch should make life more difficult to
itself to make 3rd-party indexing tool writer's life "easier".

You'll note that CVS uses the infamous "CVS" subdirectory to perform a
similar function.


Maksim> 3. It gives you the ability to provide a programable interface to
Maksim>    moving src files around - using those despised (as Tom put it
Maksim>    :-) "tla add, move" cmds to 3rd party tools like IDEs (emacs
Maksim>    included) rather then make them have to edit src files
Maksim>    themselves to set a tagline when a new file is created for
Maksim>    instance.

Absolutely NOTHING precludes you from using explicit tagging, where such
tools are required.  Nothing precludes you from REQUIRING explicit tagging
for your no-doubt nifty toolset to work.

I'm rather annoyed at you attempting to remove a functionality that *I*
find very useful.


Maksim> 
Maksim> 4. It allows people like me to write new tla-archive compatible
Maksim>    clients to store the "working dir" however they like
Maksim>    (eg. readonly).
Maksim> 
Maksim> Problems to this?

Maksim> 1. well it does make data corruption easier, you put all your eggs
Maksim>    in 1 basket so to speak, so if you stuff up the inventory its
Maksim>    probably worse then stuffing up just on of the .id files

Maksim> 2. cant think of any others - but I'm sure others can...

EVERYONE MUST use "tla move" and relatives under your plan.  Now we can opt
out of that crap if we wish.

You've just made a single point of synchronization when multiple people
update an archive at the same time.

Finally, when you use taglines you won't find .id files.

-- 
 Mark A. Flacy
 Any opinions expressed above are my own.  Any facts expressed above
 are, ummm, facts.
"Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature."
                -- Rich Kulawiec
"Any sufficiently advanced feature is indistinguishable from a bug."
                -- Greg Alexander's corollary