Re: Correct options for export

[Schwenk, Jeanie]

I've been following this never-ending thread and simply put, the storage of
binary files is sometimes a necessity.  You can continue to be a zealot for
purity but you're beating a dead horse. Just accept IT IS THE WAY IT IS
because it is needed.  Perhaps some people never need to store binary files.
Be thankful because some of us are not that fortunate.  I use a development
tool here called CELLman (by FASTech).  It saves files in binary and it only
loads binary files.  One can get a text representation but one cannot go
from the text to binary which means one cannot develop from the text
version.   Essentially the text version is useless except for browsing but I
might as well load in the file and read it in CELLman.   Grapheq which is
used by others here has the same property.  But we also develop in java, c,
xml, html and generate numerous scripting languages which also need to be
stored in something but we needed one control system that could do all file
types that we use and plan to use in the future.  

Prior to using cvs, we were using ClearCase simply because it COULD save
binary files.  Anymore, if a version control system can't handle all file
types including binary, in my opinion, it is not complete.   

When does software only get used in the intended way?  Or in the way one
person or developer believes it should be?  I don't get to live in that
world, never have, but I would sure like to have a few users like that here!
It would simplify my life considerably.  Personally, I think in general
that's how products improve.  Yes there are some exceptions to that as I'm
sure I will be informed.  

But in the end, if cvs didn't store binaries I would never have been able to
convince the other engineers, developers or managers here that using cvs was
a wise thing to do.  

Jeanie