CVS for PHP

[LondonBoy]

is CVSNT a good version control system?
Is it better than Visual SourceSafe?

How user friendly is it for PHP Development?

Anyone have any screenshots?
Do you need both a client and server install?

[GJay]

There aren't any good reasons (in my opinion, naturally) why anyone would ever want to use CVS instead of Subversion, they're so similar, but SVN is just better.
Both are easy to use (slightly beyond 'simple' to setup, but nothing too bad) and the language you use is irrelevant- I know some people who use SVN just for backing up home directories and things.

Both CVS and SVN are command-line systems. People have built GUIs for them both (Tortoise for SVN on windows is rather nice, I just stick with the command-line though...), but they shouldn't really affect your choice.

Both are client/server systems, you need subversion installed on your development machine and on a server (it can be the same machine), and on anywhere else you might want to make checkouts (i.e. production server).

there's an entire book available free online (that is itself versioned with svn...) at http://svnbook.red-bean.com - it covers everything you could want to know.

[LondonBoy]

Thanks i'll read the book
do you have a download site for SVN
the one's i found didn't work

[GJay]

for what platform?

[LondonBoy]

Windows

and is it free? ;)

[Phill]

Windows

and is it free? ;)

Yes, it's free, and you should be able to download it from:

http://subversion.tigris.org/project_packages.html :)

[LondonBoy]

Thanks
I'm downloading Subversion 1.3

I apreciate your help!!!!!!!!!! :)

[LondonBoy]

was that binaries
there was no executable to install the product

[GJay]

if you follow the instructions on the site, there are -setup.exe files to download.

[marek_mar]

Why is SVN "just better"?

[GJay]

it's quicker over the network, less data is transferred.
It can handle non-text files properly (images, for example) without having to do anything differently
checkins are atomic
moving/renaming files maintains history


Not especially compelling reasons to switch from CVS, but in my opinion, more than compelling enough not to choose it for a new system.

[marek_mar]

The CVSNT site claims those features are there... I thought we were talking about CVSNT not the original CVS.

[GJay]

ah, topic and first line blended to one.
I've never heard of CVSNT, so perhaps my points aren't valid. Are you playing devil's advocate, or do you actually prefer CVS/CVSNT to SVN?