Product Description

The beauty of open source is making code freely available. The curse is trying to organize the chaos that code development can evolve into. CVS, the Concurrent Version System, is an open source tool for managing and distributing source code. It allows multiple users dispersed over a wide geographic area to work on the same file at the same time, using a shared directory. Under CVS, multiple users can check out files from a directory tree, make changes, and then commit those changes back into the directory. CVS is a pivotal tool on many projects involving information or software, whether in-house or conducted over the Internet. The CVS Pocket Reference is a quick reference guide to help administrators and users set up and manage source code development. This small book delivers the core concepts of version control along with a complete command reference and guide to configuration and repository set up. The book includes:

• A version control primer that teaches the general concepts of version control and how it applies to CVS.
• Instructions on how to install and configure CVS for Unix®-like operating systems.
• Administrator and user sections, with complete listings of their respective commands and options for configuring and using CVS.
• Details on how to import files from RCS and SCCS directories into CVS.
• References to related useful materials.

Much more than a quick list of commands and options, this little book is packed with a surprising amount of detail--including an overview of background concepts, thorough descriptions on how to use and administer a CVS repository, and discussions of CVS-related files and how to manage them--all in a convenient reference format. This edition covers the CVS 1.11 and includes new commands for querying a central CVS repository, new configuration parameters, and new options for setting up a server for remote access. The book is a perfect companion for open source developers. The CVS Pocket Reference also contains tips on common tasks, such as converting projects from other revision control formats to CVS. It's an absolute must for developers who need an on-the-job guide for quick answers to CVS dilemmas.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #392036 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 84 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
CVS is the Open Source Concurrent Version System. Its purpose is to enable one or more people to work on a program without falling over each other and without losing track of code changes. CVS Pocket Reference deals with CVS version 1.10.8, which includes all the functionality of RCS, which isn't covered other than to tell you how to import files from it. It includes a short history of CVS, how to get it, install it, run it and use it. It also covers the use of sandboxes--directories used just for development--and how to restructure a CVS tree manually. CVS is basically command line driven, and as with so many Open Source applications even its options have options. These are covered in exhaustive detail including obsolete and deprecated options.

Any programmer can easily learn to use CVS effectively from this reference, but its real attraction is the tiny size--it actually does fit in a pocket--and friendly format. Pocket references are also ideal for handing to those irritating people who constantly ask for the same information over and over again, relying on you to remember it for them. At the price, it is worth buying just for the peace and quiet. --Steve Patient

From the Publisher
CVS, the Concurrent Version System, is an open source tool for managing source code so that multiple users can make changes on the same file at the same time, using a shared directory, and then commit those changes back into the directory. The CVS Pocket Reference is a quick reference guide to help administrators and users set up and manage source code development. This small book, the ultimate companion for open source developers, covers CVS Version 1.10.8 and delivers the core concepts of version control, along with a complete command reference and guide to configuration and repository setup.

About the Author
Gregor N. Purdy is a consultant, author, trainer, and lecturer on large-scale decision support system requirements, design, and implementation. He is also the author of various Perl modules and the Perl Shell. He uses CVS to manage his personal projects and those of his clients. He is also a contributor to the Comprehensive Perl Archive Network (CPAN) and to the ongoing development of the new Perl 6 virtual machine, Parrot.

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Customer Reviews

This tries to be a reference book but it lacks an index
CVS is very different from the 'usual' source code control systems which 'lock' files out and then 'check in' later. Instead CVS lets anyone have a file and the bun fight happens when the files are checked in - with files being merged. This book cleared that up for me on page 7 under 'gotchas', great. The rest was a disappointment to me. I'd hoped to get a better overview of how CVS works/gets-used which I know isn't a fair thing to ask of a 'reference' book but its Hobson's choice at the moment. Unfortunately the editors have failed the book as a reference since there isn't an index and the table of contents list just 5 headings! The descriptions of commands need more examples and explanation for my liking too.

Still, can't beat the price :-)

You'll still need another reference
I know this is supposed to be a pocked reference, but one of the most irritating things about a lot of O'Reilly publictions is the lack of those blindingly obvious examples you need for specific commands.

While the book give the format for a command, I can usually get this from Linux man pages - what I really want are real world examples - how to commit a file, how to add a binary file, how to checkout a specific file version. Easy stuff (now!) but tough when you're starting out.