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RE: CVS corrupts binary files ...


From: Paul Sander
Subject: RE: CVS corrupts binary files ...
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 22:59:27 -0700

>--- Forwarded mail from address@hidden

>[ On Monday, June 28, 2004 at 18:31:58 (-0700), Paul Sander wrote: ]
>> Subject: RE: CVS corrupts binary files ...
>>
>> On three separate occasions, Greg actually *recommends* intalling and
>> treating such code drops as uncontrolled sources!

>Paul, please stop mirepresenting what I have said.

>(A) they're not "sources" -- they're intermediate product files.

They're not "intermediate product files" unless they can be reproduced
from some other source using an established process.  The code drops
we're discussing come from outside and are the definitive *sources*
of the data that they contain, and can't change (or be recovered if
lost) without human intervention.  By definition, they are source files.

>(B) installing third-party intermediate files on the build systems
>    doesn't mean they are "uncontrolled" -- only in _your_ mind could
>    that be true.

They are, if there's no control over them.  Simply installing them
is not controlling them.  If you can't control them, then you must
remember all aspects that you can measure.  If you don't then something
will break as a result an uncontrolled change being introduced, and
the problem will be potentially very hard to detect, correct, and prevent
in the future.

>>  Dropping stuff in
>> a directory and pointing makefiles at it is just plain bad CM.

>Indeed it would be, if that was all one did.

In all of the articles posted so far on this thread, you have suggested
nothing more.  What do you have in mind, in addition to what you've said?

>Let me repeat again since you obviously don't grasp the full and deep
>meaning of this statement:  CVS is _NOT_ a _complete_ software
>configuration management system.

READ MY KEYS:  I agree that CVS is not a complete software configuration
system.  In the very message that you snipped above, I listed a number of
things that must be done with files like this, starting with a
tuning/build/installation/deployment method that itself undergoes
good CM.  CVS is used only for the version control part, archiving
the incoming sources and providing a convenient extraction method that
happens to be the same one that tracks all other sources in the product.

>Obviosly anyone interested in good SCM will have external procedures to
>account for these third-party files, just as they should have procedures
>for dealing with _all_ attributes of their build environment.

Cool.  We agree on something.  It's good when you say what you mean.

>--- End of forwarded message from address@hidden





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