Version control

SubVersion perhaps?
And what is a version control system that 'doesn't suck' to you?

I second subversion.
Tortoise SVN is damn good and very easy to use.

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Original post by darookie SubVersion perhaps?

Thanks, I'll take a look.

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And what is a version control system that 'doesn't suck' to you?

One that allows you to checkout a file exclusively (like VSS) and prevents conflicts to occur instead of trying to resolve them later (like CVS). And doesn't take ages to configure. Sorry, I was a bit vague.

If you're on Windows, you could try IonForge's Evolution. For 2 users it's free to use, for more there was a deal announced between GameDev and IonForge on the news page a couple of months ago wherein they will give cut price licenses for $50 instead of $500. It's got more than just version control, it's about asset control and project management. I used it for a while when I was on Windows and found ti to be excellent.

I used Alienbrain in school. It's one of those that you have to check out a file, and when it's checked out nobody else can modify anything until you check it back in. This is terrible for productivity. I now use Tortoise SVN (subversion) and by default anyone can change all files, and so far the merging has not been a problem. If there are lines that multiple people change you of course need to resolve the conflicts. Subversion does have the ability to switch it to the other mode where checked out files are locked, though it doesnt default to on.

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Original post by LNK2001 One that allows you to checkout a file exclusively (like VSS) and prevents conflicts to occur instead of trying to resolve them later (like CVS). And doesn't take ages to configure. Sorry, I was a bit vague.

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In that case subversion isn't for you I'm afraid. Subversion will not lock files and use the same copy-merge approach as CVS.
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Thanks DrEvil - I didn't know svn could switch the mode [smile]

I'm not sure it can, its listed as a feature for SVN 1.2.

Exclusive checkouts are a huge pain. If something needs to get done, said developer will just remove the read-only flag on their local copy and then manually merge the remote changes in. SVN's addition of this as a 'feature' and not a requirement is fine with me though.

Obviously non-exclusive editing is fine for code and text data files - in fact it's essential if you have something like a language-pack file which needs constant revisions by several developers.

BUT where it suffers a bit is for binary files. These are typically images (but could be models, sounds etc). Apparently Alienbrain is good for that.

I use Subversion, we're developing web applications. We have no major problems with it. The only other one I've used significantly is MS VSS, which is terrible. Specifically, it is the only version control system which I've seen LOSE source code.

I'd say, evaluate a few, decide what features you want. Have a go with a small unimportant project (like a tool or something)

Mark

I'd use a different repository for binary data anyways, enable lock/unlock on the binary repo, and use the code repo with the default setting.

Free for personnal use and OSS development:

perforce

Really a professional tool. Integration in VS.NET is easy (it uses the SCC protocol, just as VSS). The first test is not easy but you might give it a try.

Regards,

One more benefit about Evolution too. I am one of the developers and frequent these boards every few days, so you can get questions answered directly. By default it is an exclusive locking system, but you can get a shared lock by clicking a checkbox when you check something out. It also supports secure communication over TCP/IP out of the box.

Arch, maybe?