Re: [Gnu-arch-users] [BUG] binary files

[Bug Goo]

Created as bug 153

On Tue Jun 15 23:47:57 2004, Tom Lord wrote:
> 
>     > From: Matthieu Moy <address@hidden>
> 
>     > There's something I don't understand. No one would reasonably propose
>     > a revision control system storing full copies for source ASCII files
>     > today. You could *off course* store a full copy for source files too.
>     > You would have merging algorithms, usually more effective than just
>     > storing the patch in the archive. That is clearly the *wrong*
>     > solution. How is that different from binary files?
> 
> Because a text diff is useful even if you don't have a copy of either
> the ORIG or MOD that was used to create it.   A binary diff isn't.
> 
> The situation of not having the ORIG or MOD is common in arch and
> coping with it is one of the primary things that arch _does_ that make
> it a revision control system.
> 
> What would you think of something like the following:
> 
> 1. The archive format could be expanded so that revisions with
>    changesets could optionally also contain "exact changesets".
> 
>    A revision might have:
> 
>       patch-5.patch.tar.gz:  the ordinary changeset with
>                                binary full-texts
> 
>       patch-5.exact.tar.gz: the same changeset but xdelta
>                               bniary diffs, etc.
> 
> 
> 2. The builder can use .exact changesets if they are present.
>    Replay and update can gain an option to use .exact changesets.
> 
> 
> 3. commit should have an option to store only a .exact changeset
> 
>    If a revision lacks a .patch and has only .exact, commands that
>    need .patch should signal an error and treat it as an unreadable
>    revision.
> 
> 
> 4. a new command, `tla fill-in-exact REVISION' should have two
>    options:
> 
>       --exact (the default)
>           Add a .exact changeset to a revision that already
>           has a .patch changeset if the .exact changeset would
>           be smaller.
> 
>         --full
>           Add a .patch changeset to a revision that already
>           has a .exact changeset if the revision 
>           lacks a .patch changeset.
> 
> 5. push-mirror should have an option to not include .patch 
>    changesets from revisions with .exact ones, and the opposite
>    option, and an option to go back and get the missing ones.
> 
> 
> That should solve everyone's issues with binary files.   People over
> small pipes can commit .exact and hopefully usually read .exact
> into their local mirrors.   Anyone server side and clients on the
> opposite side of the server can fill in missing .patch files
> themselves.
> 
> -t
> 
> 
> 
> 
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