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Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2001 17:36:29 +1000 (GMT+1000)
From: Raymond Smith <zzrasmit at uqconnect.net>
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Subject: Re: [H-GEN] Yet More CVS
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[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and  ]
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Hi Jason,

On 3 Dec 2001, Jason Henry Parker wrote:
> Raymond Smith <zzrasmit at uqconnect.net> writes:
>
> > So I can understand Linus wanting to avoid CVS if what he wants is
> > tightly coordinated changes to a single source base.
>
> And I maintain this is a false dichotomy.  Imagine a CVS repository
> storing the Linux kernel.  The only person with commit rights to it is
> Linus.  No-one else.  In fact, Linus doesn't even need to change how
> he works, other than taking his diffs and committing them by hand to
> CVS.

I do not know enough about the Kernel Development team's coding practice
to comment on this except to say that restricted write-access to a CVS
repository may not be equivalent to what Linus has now. (I especially
doubt that Linus is the only one with write access to 'the' repository.)

> What does this give us?

True -- although CVS branches, tags, and versions are not a universal
panacea. I have worked on a large project where CVS branches had to be
dropped because the effort of merging them in was too great. I imagine
this could very easily happen with the kernel.

> None of this requires any substantive change in the way the Linux
> kernel is developed, except that Linus has to learn how to apply a
> patch to a CVS tree and commit it.

Given that I do not know the development practices of Linus and Company, I
cannot judge the veracity of this statement.

But I think you really need to ask 'what does CVS give *Linus* that makes
it worth his time to suffer the pain of learning a new system'? Given the
philosophy in _Just for Fun_ I doubt you will ever see Linus do
anything on his own time that he does not find entertaining.

Cheers,

Raymond
---
raymond at humbug.org.au   Just once, I'd like to quote someone famous in
			my .sig and spell their name right -- Mi.


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