[Mailman-Developers] Should we move to Bazaar?

[Barry Warsaw]

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On May 3, 2007, at 11:50 AM, Jon Scott Stevens wrote:

> Since I haven't seen anyone else mention this... there is also:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SVK
>
> I say stick with Subversion/SVK:
>
> #1. *everyone* knows how to use it and almost all OSS software
> projects use it.
> #2. The subversion developers are *awesome*. I used to work with them
> at CollabNet and know them personally. Very smart great guys.
> #3. SVK solves the problems that you are talking about.
> #4. It would allow you to host your source code on code.google.com
> for free and be able to have the benefits of taking advantage of
> google's infrastructure.

Does svk solve some of svn's problems?

- - The need to use svnmerge or similar tool so that revisions in  
different branches don't merge multiple times
- - The need to sometimes commit changes before you're ready (i.e.  
double moves)
- - Inexplicable errors with cryptic error messages
- - Inability to merge across renames
- - True nested branches (svn:externals is broken).

Don't get me wrong, I love svn, and it definitely accomplished its  
mission of being a better cvs.  It's got its quirks and annoyances,  
and we'd be fools to think that the other vcs's don't have their own  
share.  I'm skeptical that svk will substantially improve the  
development model over svn, but maybe I'm just guilty of a greener  
pastures mentality.

>> Branches in Bazaar are cheap, unlike in Subversion.
>
> I'm really sorry Barry, but that's just plain untrue. Read this:
>
> http://svnbook.red-bean.com/en/1.0/ch04s02.html
> "Cheap Copies"

It's not the same thing.  svn cp is pretty heavyweight compared to  
bzr branch.  To have an svn branch revision controlled it has to be  
committed back to the server and that's what makes it so heavy.  With  
bzr (and I'm assuming hg), you can branch locally 'til the cows come  
home, and each branch is fully revision controlled right away, with  
no need to communicate with the parent branch (if say it were on a  
separate server).

- -Barry

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