> On Aug 28, 2014, at 3:28 AM, Zé wrote: > >> Be definition you have a server since the files are on it. Just run >> the svnserve deamon on it even if it is your workstation. > > This is the problem. I doubt anyone who claims this is a reasonable approach > has even considered the problem and thought about how the solution is simply > unacceptable. > > For example, picture the scenario where someone tries to pitch subversion to > a version control newbie to use for such basic tasks such as track changes to > a file tree present on his file system: > > newbie: "this version tracking thing sounds neat. how do I track this > folder, then?" > > svn supporter: "well, you start off by installing Apache and mod_dav_svn on > your desktop, register a dedicated user account to run the server, and setup > a subversion server. Don't forget to read these books on the basics behind > server management, or else you risk getting hit by a myriad of security > problems..." > > Do you believe this is acceptable? Even plain old rsync -a is a far better > alternative than this. > > Frankly, this approach makes no sense. It makes much more sense and much > more efficient to simply abandon subversion and migrate to pretty much any > version control system. I'm not aware of any other system who forces users > to install, manage and run servers just to track changes made to a file. How > is this acceptable?
I understand your frustration but I've been on this mailing list for around a decade and concerns over running a server process are not a major problem for others who have written to this list. That doesn't mean it's not a valid concern, just that Subversion was built with different concerns in mind. I'm not as familiar with e.g. git or hg as I am with svn, so I don't know if they have a solution for the issue that prompted you to start this thread that doesn't involve running a server. If they or another version control system does, and you prefer that, by all means use that system instead of svn. We're not here to "sell" you Subversion; it's free after all. We're only here to help you use Subversion and to understand how it's meant to be used. And as we've explained, it's meant to be used as a centralized server process. Yes, you should acquire some knowledge about how to set up and run that server process. And that's not the only knowledge you need to use Subversion; there's plenty to know and understand in order to effectively use the svn client program as well. The official book at svnbook.org is an excellent and well-written resource for teaching you what you need to know. But Subversion is not for everybody. For some uses, other version control systems may be a better fit. I encourage you to try several version control systems, and see which one works best for your situation.
