Re: CVS corrupts binary files ...

[Adrian Constantin]

--- Paul Sander <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> >Adrian Constantin writes:
> >> 
> >> Or maybe projects for Unix/Linux platforms do not
> >> usualy have binary files, but I don't really
> think so...
> 
> >CVS is a *source* control system; source files are
> rarely binary.
> 
> I disagree with this statement.  Source files are
> any files that cannot
> be reproduced automatically.  That is, changes must
> be made to them
> manually using some editor, and that editor need not
> be the likes of
> vi or emacs.  MS Word (or Frame Maker) documents,
> images of various
> formats, and documents from various design tools
> (e.g. GUI builders)
> are common examples.
> 
  I tend to see this as a serious break in the cvs
  design . Today it is not relistic to assume
  serious projects with many developers involved will
  only contain text files. Also note that diff has the
  same problem, only for diff it might not be as acute
  as for cvs.

  Please note this problem is legacy since the days
  computer graphics were an advanced technology. When
  computers were text-based I can understand binary
  source files were a strange thing in any project.

  I would have expected things to evolve.
  I think there are some binary diff algorithms...

> >It
> >does support them as an afterthought, but that's
> not what it was
> >designed to do.
> 
> While this may be true, it turns out that CVS'
> design can accomodate
> such files.  Support can be added with a relatively
> small amount of
> effort, which was demonstrated circa Sept. 18, 2001
> in this forum in
> the form of a patch of the then-current release. 
> All that's needed is
> a pluggable diff/merge tool based on the type of
> data.
> 
   The design itself does not needs litte changes. cvs

   design can perfectly acomodate binary sources. It
   just has to be done (or implemented).
   
   I think someday I'll use Subversion... when I'll
   have the time to take it from the begining and
start
   testing and evaluating it as I've done with cvs

   Adrian Constantin
   -------------------------------
   And I don't wanna miss a thing


        
                
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