RE: Is this the most official cvs mailing list?

[Arthur Barrett]

Jirong and Bob,

> > Subject: Is this the most official cvs mailing list?
> 
> Perhaps you are having a problem reading the list?  There seems to be
> quite a bit of traffic here.
.
.
.
> Yes.  The list of mailing lists can be found here:

Bob has provided a list of the GNU mailing lists for GNU software.

For better or for worse there are many bits of software that people
think are CVS.  It's actually enshrined in the GNU philosophy that
software should freely be copied and adapted - unfortunately the GNU
philopsophy doesn't make any clear rules about what to call such
adaptations.  The collabnet team specifically licensed Subversion in
such a way that any derirative works cannot be called Subversion to get
around this.

So the most official mailing list will depend on the version/adaptation
that you are using, each of these has it's own mailing list:
* CVS (this one here is for CVS 1.10, 1.11, 1.12)
* CVSNT (CVS versions 2.0, 2.5, 3.1)
* DCVS
* OpenCVS
* Subversion
* TortoiseCVS (really CVSNT + a GUI)
* WinCVS (really CVSNT + a GUI)

Then there are the commercial variants CVS Suite, CM Suite, CS RCS,
Perforce etc etc for which you need to contact the vendor.

Google is your friend and will help you find the correct mailing list
for each of those...

> > Sorry to ask this question. I found this mailing list here, 
> > but seems not much activity as I expected.

Ahhh - you've presumably looked at the SVN mailing list and seen the 30+
messages every day.  You are right - this mailing list traffic is
comparably low.  

The correct explanation is one or more of these reasons:
A) CVS is easier to use than that other software, so people need to ask
less questions
B) CVS has less bugs than that other software, so people need to ask
less questions
C) People who use CVS know how to search the mailing list to find
previous answers, so do not have to ask the same questions each day
D) People who use CVS are more dedicated to the GNU philosophy and if
they find a problem, simply fix it and submit a patch rather than ask
why it doesn't work
E) People who use CVS can't be bothered writing e-mails, if it doesn't
work they just don't bother checking in
F) People who use CVS can (and do) read manuals
G) People who use CVS know the value of time and so are happy to pay the
authors to come on site and help 
H) Most of the mailing list traffic is hidden from view unless you use
the undocumented 'cvs view-mailing-list' command
I) The few times anyone has ever asked a question - the replies are so
inane that they don't ever bother again
J) We've carefully hidden most references to the mailing list behind
'hyperlinks' (rather than the more garish/common BIG BLUE BUTTONS) so
very few people can find it 
K) The moderators carefully screen mailing list applicants - if they
believe you may be likely to ask an innapropriate question they do not
allow you to join/post

Regards,


Arthur Barrett