Re: Question on use of Task Branches

I am new to CVS. I would really appreciate suggestions. I am researching the use of task branches.

My definition of a task: Every developer gets a set of work to do and is divided up in several small tasks.

What are the pros and cons of implementing individual task branches? Is it better to use it or stay away from it ?

From what I know:

Pros:

·       Allows developers to checkout and commit their own work without affecting anyone.

·       They can review their own changes over time before they decide to merge it to the trunk.

·       Re-viewers can check out the individual task branch.

Cons:

·       Can clutter up the repository with many tags and branches.

Thanks

Rojal

Your con is probably not such a concern - branches and tags are very important in a version control system and in CVS the phrase "tags are cheep" is commonly made - you should (almost) never hesitate to use a tag. If you use good naming conventions for your tags then you should not have a problem with the number of tags.

The con I see is that each branch will need to be merged with the main line of development. Of course isolating the task until it is ready for the main line can be quite worth it.

My suggestion is that you decide WHEN to use a task branch and when not to. If it is a simple bug fix that takes very little work, branching may be overkill. If the task will take days or weeks this approach can be well worth it. Come up with an easy to understand and follow policy of when a branch is appropriate.

From:	Aaron Bono
Subject:	Re: Question on use of Task Branches
Date:	Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:54:31 -0500