Distributed SCM (was: Re: compiling cvsup broken on -current)

["Simon 'corecode' Schubert" <corecode@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 04.11.2005, at 08:29, Erik Wikström wrote:
[git might be nice]
> I don't quite understand, what's the difference between having a 
> decentralised repository and a centralised one when there is only one 
> official version? And should someone wish to make an own branch all 
> they have to do is download the whole repository and start making the 
> changes they want (much like DF branced of from FBSD).

No, it's not that easy.  It's about maintaining local changes/additions 
over a longer period of time (because they might not apply to a general 
audience, or because they are too unstable/unfinished to get into the 
main tree, or for other raisins).  You can't do this with CVS without 
lots of hassle, because CVS is conceptually centralized.  What the BSDs 
are doing is cheating: they copy the central repository to have a local 
read-only cache.  You can't really commit to your local repo because 
the changes will get overwritten by the next cvsup and/or because cvs 
doesn't track the original changes anymore and you have to pull up 
changes from upstream to your local branch manually every time you 
sync.  It's a bandaid, if any, more like a straw to splint a broken 
bone.

> I also understand that the Linux development-model is a bit different 
> from the BSD-model, might be wrong here but don't they have separate 
> maintainers for different parts of the kernel who gets to descide what 
> goes in and not. Or was that how it used to be? Anyway, my point is 
> that different models have different requirements on the SCM.

That might be, but it doesn't have to do with the distributed nature of 
an SCM.  The pros I see is that I can develop and have my local patches 
versioned until I feel that it's ready to go into the tree.

cheers
  simon

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