Re: Is it a good idea to use CVS for this??

[Lance Stephens]

Phillip,
     we only keep executables for certain cases, such as when we have
some dependencies on executable files provided by a third party which
must be distributed with our system (for example, a purchased JDBC driver).
We keep version control on it (it does not change often) so that we can
associate a particular version with a "release" of software without having
to build a release disk from separate sources. I must say I did not support
this decision, as it could lead to other instances of wanting to do this (I've
already had to fight to keep other binary's from other internal systems
out). It just sets a bad precedence for future endeavors.

The Pros:
--- you don't have to rebuild your execs. But this is not really a "Pro"?
     Access to the execs from CVS could be slow compared to other media
     (say CD or disk). If your argument is you can't rebuild it (or it takes a
      long time to rebuild),  you are just masking a problem with a mistake.
--- are there any more Pros ?

The Cons:
--- wasting disk space (binary files are kept in CVS as whole versions on
      top of whole versions, instead of just a base with diffs like you get
      with text files).
--- checkout/update times take longer. If Execs are stored, this doesn't
     just affect the person archiving, it affects each developer every time
     they update or checkout.

Really, I see no real advantage for storing it into CVS. You could easily
tar, jar or zip the files up and send them to another storage area faster
than you could put then into CVS. And you could easily make that part
of your build process ...

-Lance Stephens


address@hidden wrote:

> Hello all, I have been having an interesting discussion with a co-worker,
> and am looking for some additional thoughts.   My organization is just
> adopting CVS, and source code management.  ( don't even ask how we did it
> in the past, you don't wanna know ).   Anyway, we have been discussing
> exactly what to store in CVS, and some details as to the who, what, when
> were and how, of using CVS.
>
> Well, one coworker has suggested storing the output of the build process (
> that is, the final executables, dlls, etc. ) in CVS.  He makes some good
> arguments that this stuff should be archived, which I agree with.  But, I
> have some reservations about putting it in CVS.  I can't however, put my
> finger on exactly why I think CVS isn't the best place for this stuff.
>
> So, if anyone could share their thoughts with me, pro or con, I'd highly
> appreciate it.  Do any of you store executables in CVS?  What good reasons
> exist, if any, for doing this? Conversely, what good reasons, if any, exist
> for NOT doing it?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Phillip Rhodes
> Application Designer
> Voice Data Solutions
> 919-571-4300 x225
> address@hidden
>
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