Re: Crazy idea - replace RCS backend with ClearCase...!!!

[Julian Gosnell]

--- Donald Sharp <address@hidden> wrote: > On Wed,
May 23, 2001 at 01:33:51PM +0100, Julian
> Gosnell wrote:
> > Donald,
> > 
> > I've explained this in the thread enclosed.
> > 
> > It's not my choice to sit between products that
> talk
> > CVS and a company that insists on using Clearcase
> and
> > I think what I have proposed is actually not a bad
> > idea.
> > 
> > It means that if my company takes on a new tool OR
> > !DEVELOPER! that knows only CVS, it/they can still
> be
> > immediately productive.
> 
> But you will loose a lot of the power of Clearcase
> by this.
> Is it ok to loose the flexibility that CC gives you?
> 

Absolutely.

Imagine you have got a tool that only talks CVS.

You will be able to use it on top of a CC vob and
everything would work as usual.

You will not miss any CC functionality, because the
tool wouldn't know what to do with it anyway. It will
only have menu options for CVS commands.

If you want CC fnality, drop out to a command line and
use it there.

> > 
> > Now, before I look at this any further I really
> need
> > to know whether all interaction with versioned
> files
> > is indeed abstracted out of CVS and into the RCS
> > component, as has been implied, (in which case my
> > approach would work) or whether CVS also walks
> around
> > the side of RCS and messes with this stuff
> directly???
> 
> I don't think cvs walks around rcs and does stuff.
> But then again I'm not a expert on cvs code.  It's
> a rats nest.  With about 10 years of development 
> inside of it.
> 

If all file-versioning interaction is done through RCS
then it should be simple to replace the library with
one with an identical interface which just calls out
to my scripts. If not, and I am looking at rewriting
half of CVS I will forget it.

Perhaps a CVS developer might be able to give us a
definitive answer ???? GUYS ??!!?

Jules

> donald
> > 
> > Can anyone give me an answer to this - I would
> really
> > appreciate it.
> > 
> > Jules
> > 
> > --- Donald Sharp <address@hidden> wrote: > Why
> not
> > just use clearcase??? 
> > > 
> > > What do you think you are actually gaining by
> doing
> > > this?
> > > 
> > > donald
> > > On Wed, May 23, 2001 at 01:03:37AM +0000, Julian
> > > Gosnell wrote:
> > > > OK,
> > > > 
> > > > That makes my life harder....
> > > > 
> > > > I reiterate the same question though:
> > > > 
> > > > Does this library represent the only interface
> > > between the data that it
> > > > encapsulates and the cvs binary ?
> > > > 
> > > > I guess I might now be looking at writing a
> > > library instead of some
> > > > scripts....
> > > > 
> > > > Thanks again,
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Jules
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > Chris Cameron wrote:
> > > > 
> > > > > Sorry to throw a spanner in the works, but
> from
> > > 1.10, CVS incorporates RCS
> > > > > as a set of libraries and doesn't call the
> > > external rcs commands.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > >
> >
>
***************************************************************
> > > > > Chris Cameron                       Open
> > > Telecommunications Ltd
> > > > > Product Manager                           IN
> > > Product Management
> > > > > address@hidden                      
>    
> > > P.O.Box 10-388
> > > > >       +64 4 495 8403 (DDI)                  
>    
> > >    The Terrace
> > > > > fax:  +64 4 495 8419                        
>    
> > >     Wellington
> > > > > cell: +64 21 650 680                        
>    
> > >    New Zealand
> > > > > Life, don't talk to me about life
> ....(Marvin -
> > > HHGTTG)
> > > > >
> > > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > > From: address@hidden
> > > [mailto:address@hidden Behalf Of
> > > > > Julian Gosnell
> > > > > Sent: Wednesday, 23 May 2001 10:43 a.m.
> > > > > To: address@hidden
> > > > > Subject: Crazy idea - replace RCS backend
> with
> > > ClearCase...!!!
> > > > >
> > > > > OK - I'm mad, now here me out....
> > > > >
> > > > > Imagine you work for a large company.
> > > > >
> > > > > They decide on a 'strategic' SCM - Clearcase
> -
> > > in which every project
> > > > > must live.
> > > > >
> > > > > They then task you with looking at
> OpenSource
> > > development methodologies
> > > > > and tools.
> > > > >
> > > > > Unsurprisingly, all of these use CVS -
> because
> > > it does the job and is
> > > > > free - in all senses of the word.
> > > > >
> > > > > I can look at forking each OpenSource
> project
> > > that I might like to
> > > > > deploy within my company (e.g. SourceForge,
> > > Tinderbox, Bonsai etc.),
> > > > > producing a Clearcase backend, and maybe
> merging
> > > (licences and project
> > > > > owners permitting) back my code, in the hope
> > > that it will continue to be
> > > > > maintained and I won't be left out on a
> branch,
> > > or I can consider
> > > > > something wierd :
> > > > >
> > > > > Tools using CVS for their SCM, ulimately as
> I
> > > understand it (I'm open to
> > > > > correction here), end up calling RCS. RCS
> has a
> > > nice small, closed set
> > > > > of functionality. I would be surprised if
> > > Clearcase could not replicate
> > > > > all of this... - So
> > > > >
> > > > > What is to stop me writing several wrapper
> > > scripts (e.g. ci, co, rcs
> > > > > etc...) which actually call clearcase to do
> the
> > > file-based version
> > > > > control ? This would be one piece of well
> > > defined work. Most well
> > > > > written CVS backends would continue to work
> > > oblivious to the fact that
> > > > > the implementation of the file versioning
> had
> > > changed. I would be happy
> > > > > since I could painlessly deploy OpenSource
> tools
> > > and work through CVS
> > > > > with them and my company would be happy
> because
> > > they would have all
> > > > > their source stuck into a repository which
> has
> > > cost them a small
> > > > > fortune.
> > > > >
> > > > > I guess what I'm asking is, "Is the
> interface
> > > between CVS and a project
> > > > > in it's Repository completely described by
> RCS",
> > > or does CVS do things
> > > > > like go under the covers and parse the
> contents
> > > of RCS files ?
> > > > >
> > > > > What would the gotchas be ?
> > > > >
> > > > > Do you still think I'm crazy ?
> > > > >
> 
=== message truncated ===


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