Subversion Version Control: Using the Subversion Version Control System in Development Projects [Paperback]

William Nagel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0131855182 | ISBN-13: 978-0131855182 | Publication Date: May 26, 2005 | Edition: 1

In any software development project, many developers contribute changes over a period of time. Using a version control system to track and manage these changes is vital to the continued success of the project. This book introduces you to Subversion, a free, open-source version control system, which is both more powerful and much less complex than its predecessor CVS.

In this practical, hands-on guide, you will learn how to use Subversion and how to effectively merge a version control system within your development process. As a seasoned Subversion user, William Nagel draws on lessons learned through trial and error, providing useful tips for accomplishing tasks that arise in day-to-day software development. Nagel clearly explains how to expand on the built-in abilities of Subversion, making the system work better for you. He organizes Subversion commands by activity to allow for quick task reference. Using example scripts and configurations, he also includes development approaches that you can customize to fit your own environment.

Inside, you will find

• A guide to installing Subversion on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

• A tutorial walkthrough of Subversion, from creating your first repository to basic branching and merging.

• A detailed look at the most important Subversion client commands, as well as properties, user configuration, and integration with a variety of external tools.

• A guide to repository administration and organization, including repository security and migration from another version control system.

• An in-depth look at automation in Subversion, including using hook scripts, metadata, and the Subversion API, plus example scripts.

• Case studies that examine both archetypal and real-world projects and their use of Subversion.

• A Subversion command reference for fast access to essential technical information.

• Details on Subversion's many advanced features, such as its Apache-integrated WebDAV server and database file storage system.

Whether you are an administrator, project manager, or software developer, Subversion Version Control will show you how to realize the full potential of Subversion.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

In any software development project, many developers contribute changes over a period of time. Using a version control system to track and manage these changes is vital to the continued success of the project. This book introduces you to Subversion, a free, open-source version control system, which is both more powerful and much less complex than its predecessor CVS.

In this practical, hands-on guide, you will learn how to use Subversion and how to effectively merge a version control system within your development process. As a seasoned Subversion user, William Nagel draws on lessons learned through trial and error, providing useful tips for accomplishing tasks that arise in day-to-day software development. Nagel clearly explains how to expand on the built-in abilities of Subversion, making the system work better for you. He organizes Subversion commands by activity to allow for quick task reference. Using example scripts and configurations, he also includes development approaches that you can customize to fit your own environment.

Inside, you will find

• A guide to installing Subversion on Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

• A tutorial walkthrough of Subversion, from creating your first repository to basic branching and merging.

• A detailed look at the most important Subversion client commands, as well as properties, user configuration, and integration with a variety of external tools.

• A guide to repository administration and organization, including repository security and migration from another version control system.

• An in-depth look at automation in Subversion, including using hook scripts, metadata, and the Subversion API, plus example scripts.

• Case studies that examine both archetypal and real-world projects and their use of Subversion.

• A Subversion command reference for fast access to essential technical information.

• Details on Subversion's many advanced features, such as its Apache-integrated WebDAV server and database file storage system.

Whether you are an administrator, project manager, or software developer, Subversion Version Control will show you how to realize the full potential of Subversion.

About the Author

William Nagel is the chief software engineer for Stage Logic, LLC, a small technology development company, where he splits his time between designing real-time middleware systems and seeking new ways to improve and streamline Stage Logic's development process. After suffering one too many frustrations with CVS, he spearheaded the company's early adoption of Subversion.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (May 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131855182
• ISBN-13: 978-0131855182
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,414,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Subversion, November 26, 2005

By 

G. Jewell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subversion Version Control: Using the Subversion Version Control System in Development Projects (Paperback)

This book covers all aspects of using Subversion: from setting up repositories, to daily usage, to administering the repositories that you created. There is also a section that explains how to configure the Apache web server to serve repositories. After reading the book, I truly had a good understanding of Subversion and how to use it effectively.

There is a minor precaution, however. This book only covers up to Subversion 1.1. Subversion 1.4 was recently released, so some newer functionality is not detailed. Although the book trails the current release of Subversion by a few releases, most of the enhancements are "behind the scenes", and don't affect how users interact with the repositories. (One feature that many people feel is important, the ability to lock files, was added in Subversion 1.2 and is therefore not covered.)

This book is an excellent introduction to almost all facets of Subversion, and I highly recommend it to Subversion novices. However, since it is slightly out of date in its feature coverage, I subtracted a star from the overall rating.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subvert your development process!, July 14, 2005

By 

Ernest Friedman-Hill "JavaRanch Sheriff" (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subversion Version Control: Using the Subversion Version Control System in Development Projects (Paperback)

This is a straightforward book on a straightforward topic. Subversion is an open-source version control (VC) system conceived as a replacement for CVS. While improving on CVS in a number of ways, it nonetheless feels comfortable and familiar to CVS users. Furthermore, because it avoids some of CVS's worst "gotchas", it's easier for VC novices to learn. Nagel writes this book for both of these audiences in a plain, easy to read style.

As expected, the book covers the basic concepts of VC software, offers comparisons between Subversion and several other VC systems, and discusses Subversion's command set in detail. But the most valuable part of the book are the numerous discussions throughout of practical approaches to working in a VC environment and to managing a Subversion repository. There's some great material on how VC practices and development methodologies affect each other, and there are some detailed case studies of individual companies and how they use Subversion -- right down to the details of the client software, repository layout, and automation scripts that they use. There's always a danger that a book documenting a specific software package will simply duplicate material that's already in the manual; that really doesn't happen here.

Prospective Subversion users -- whether they're coming from a CVS or SourceSafe environment, or if they're new to VC all together -- won't go wrong with this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know about Subversion, June 23, 2005

By 

Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Subversion Version Control: Using the Subversion Version Control System in Development Projects (Paperback)

This is an excellent Subversion resource. Everything from administration through use and automation is covered. In addition the author imparts some experience based wisdom about proper branching technique, which can be impenetrable at the best of times. There are some issues, the code is often a little long and sometimes acts as exposition. But for the moment I would rate this as the best Subversion book that I have seen.