Subject: REVIEW: HWGRCS software revision control system
From: [email-masked] (Matt Weatherford)
Date: 20 Sep 1994 19:53:20 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	HWGRCS - Heinz Wrobel's RCS, patch level 11, based on GNU RCS
version 5.6.0.1.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	A very nice port of the GNU RCS 5.6.0.1 package.  *Many* special
Amiga features have been added without sacrificing standard GNU RCS
compatibility.

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		Heinz Wrobel
	Address:	Karlstr. 16
			82131 Gauting
			Germany

	FAX:		+49 89 850 5125
	E-mail:		[email-masked]

PRICE

	This is not a simple GNU port and is not free.  It is "giftware,"
meaning that you are encouraged to send the author some kind of gift:
money, books, games, etc.

	This package has many additional features and is "supported" for
registered users.  All users should register with Heinz to assure that this
package continues to improve.  Revision Control is a crucial tool for
Developers to use in a Software Engineering process.  Contribute
generously!  The future of large software projects for the Amiga may depend
on it!

	The full working version can be found on Aminet in the file
/pub/aminet/dev/misc/HWGRCSp11.lha.

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		Hard drive is required.

		1 MB RAM recommended.

	SOFTWARE

		AmigaDOS 2.04 or higher is required.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	Amiga 4000/040, 4 MB Fast RAM, 2 MB Chip RAM.
	120 MB IDE hard drive

INSTALLATION

	Installation is simple:  unarchive the files and stick them into a
directory.  There is no installation script.

	HWGRCS is composed of a dozen or so binary files that should be in
your path and have the name "RCS:" assigned to their directory.

REVIEW

	HWGRCS is a very thorough port of GNU's RCS.  RCS stands for
Revision Control System.  It provides a convenient way to work with multiple
versions of a file without having to keep all the old versions around.  Did
you make an error in the latest version of a file?  Just type a command and
you can restore any old version.

	HWGRCS stays "true" to RCS 5.6.0.1's standards for switch usage and
log file format.  The UNIX man pages are included, unchanged except for
AmigaGuide formatting.  Many individuals have ported RCS to the Amiga in the
past, but Heinz's port is the most fully featured and fastidiously supported
of any I have used.

	HWGRCS has some very useful features which are specific to the
Amiga. These include:

	- Support for "RCS_link" files

		This allows one to work in one or more directories and keep
	the RCS library in some other place than the current directory or a
	subdirectory called "RCS."

		This feature is supported by all of the RCS programs - CI,
	CO, RCS, RCSDIFF, etc.  This support is more thorough than that of
	past implementations.  Also, a remote checkin (example: CI
	work:sw/test/hello.c) finds the RCS_link in the remote directory and
	checks it in, as expected.

	- Filename wildcard expansion

		Supports wildcards characters like #,?,*

	- Amiga Comment Leaders

		Comment leaders defined for popular Amiga file extensions.

	- Amiga Protection Bits 
	   
		The Amiga Protection bits and GID/UID are supported for any
	filesystem (network, local, etc) that supports those bits.
	         
		For AS225 NFS, the "P" and "S" bits are lost on the network,
	but there is a mechanism for dealing with this, too!  Using a
	special HWGRCS keyword, checked out files can get the SCRIPT or PURE
	bits set - or any other combination you might like.

DOCUMENTATION

	Documentation is provided in AmigaGuide format.  Both the
Amiga-specific information and the standard RCS man pages are AmigaGuide
documents.  The documentation is well organized.

	It really helps to know something about RCS before using this
package.  There are plenty of introductions to RCS out there.  Heinz has
included the RCSINTRO man page, but a general knowledge of Revision Control
Systems is recommended.

LIKES

	I was impressed by the details that were included in the port.
Heinz chose to implement the feature of "RCS unlock" which notifies (by
mail) the user whose lock you have broken.  If you have a "sendmail" program
that supports "Sendmail -t {username} < {textfile}", then this RCS will
automatically notify of lock breaks via email.  A nice touch.  All too
often, ported programs leave out nice features like this.  Heinz has spared
no effort to produce a full-featured implementation.

	The Amiga-specific commands actually make RCS a lot more powerful
than the stock GNU RCS.  This is especially true for the wildcard matching
and RCS_link feature.

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	The only thing I dislike is the limitations of RCS to file-by-file
revision control.  (This is a design limitation of RCS not the fault of
HWGRCS.)  Heinz is working on a port of the GNU "CVS" (Concurrent Version
System) which is another level of abstraction above RCS (works with
directory trees instead of individual files).

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	HWGRCS is far better than previous ports of RCS for the Amiga in
functionality, documentation, and support.

BUGS

	None found to date in Patch Level 11.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	Heinz has been very good about responding to my questions and
suggestions, as I am a registered site.  I *STRONGLY* urge users and
especially companies to support this product by registering.  The quality of
support is directly proportional to your registration contribution! :)
	
	HWGRCS has evolved a lot in time since I have been using it, and it
just keeps getting better!  This product and author have exceeded my
expectations.

WARRANTY

	N/A

CONCLUSIONS

	This product meets the needs of our development team.  We use it on
a daily basis to manage our "C" code.  There are a few more features we
would like, but are discussing these with Heinz.

	Overall, HWGRCS is a very fine, professional package.  It is a
*MUST* for any kind of individual or corporate software development effort.

Matt Weatherford  Atlantis Diagnostics Int'l (206) 487-7826  [email-masked]

---

   Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews
   Send reviews to:	[email-masked]
   Request information:	[email-masked]
   Moderator mail:	[email-masked]
   Anonymous ftp site:  math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews