Version Control with Subversion [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by C. Michael Pilato (Author), Ben Collins-Sussman (Author), Brian W. Fitzpatrick (Author)
Key Phrases: basic work cycle, repository access, vendor branches, Alternate Names, Subversion Complete Reference, Repository Maintenance (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
One of the greatest frustrations in most software projects is version control: the art of managing changes to information. Today's increasingly fast pace of software development--as programmers make small changes to software one day only to undo them the next--has only heightened the problem; consecutive work on code or single-programmer software is a rare sight these days. Without careful attention to version control, concurrent and collaborative work can create more headaches than it solves. This is where Subversion comes into play.

Written by members of the Subversion open source development team, Version Control with Subversion introduces the powerful new versioning tool designed to be the successor to the Concurrent Version System or CVS. CVS users will find the "look and feel" Subversion comfortably familiar, but under the surface it's far more flexible, robust, and usable, and more importantly, it improves on CVS's more notable flaws.

The book begins with a general introduction to Subversion, the basic concepts behind version control, and a guided tour of Subversion's capabilities and structure. With thorough attention to detail, the authors cover every aspect of installing and configuring Subversion for managing a programming project, documentation, or any other team-based endeavor. Later chapters cover the more complex topics of branching, repository administration, and other advanced features such as properties, externals, and access control. The book ends with reference material and appendices covering a number of useful topics such as a Subversion complete reference and troubleshooting guide.

Version Control with Subversion aims to be useful to readers of widely different backgrounds, from those with no previous experience in version control to experienced sysadmins. If you've never used version control, you'll find everything you need to get started in this book. And if you're a seasoned CVS pro, this book will help you make a painless leap into Subversion.

About the Author
Ben Collins-Sussman has been a sysadmin and programmer for ten years, and is one of the original designers and authors of Subversion. He currently works for CollabNet as a Subversion developer and community leader. When away from his computer, he moonlights as a musical theater composer at theaters around the city of Chicago. He lives with his lovely wife, three cats, and a house full of computer and music gizmos.

Brian W. Fitzpatrick is a member of the Apache Software Foundation and currently works for CollabNet. He has been involved with Subversion in one way or another since its inception in early 2000. Originally from New Orleans, Brian moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University where he received a degree in Latin and Greek.

C. Michael Pilato (Mike) is a core Subversion developer, and a leader in the Subversion community. He is currently employed by CollabNet, where he spends his days (and many nights) improving Subversion and other tools with which it integrates. A husband and father, this North Carolina native also enjoys composing and performing music, freelance graphic design work, hiking, and spending quality time with his family. Mike has a degree in computer science and mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; illustrated edition edition (June 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596004486
• ISBN-13: 978-0596004484
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #378,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 184 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't Buy this Book - get it for free!, July 30, 2004

By	P. Webb (San Francisco, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This first edition has numerous code errors in examples, and basic command listings. It is a total waste of time and money trudging through misprints. This book is 1month old and is already useless. For example if you followed the instructions in Chapter 2 as to how to create a repository, then followed the instructions on how to checkout you would Fail right away because the example command is missing a "/".... Small but high impact misprint!

If you're serious about stepping up to subversion, this book is licensed under GPL and as such can be downloaded for free from svnbook.red-bean.com.

My only regret with subversion so far is spending $25 to find out I could have gotten a much more error free version for nothing!

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subversion (the book and the software) rocks!, July 19, 2004

By	W. Bumgarner "bbum" (Cupertino, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are a CVS user, you need to immediately move to Subversion. CVS is damaged goods (no atomic commits, broken tags/branches, broken client/server, etc..). Subversion fixes all of this and takes it a generation further (WebDAV access, sensible branching, excellent diff'ing, etc).

This book does an excellent job of teaching the reader exactly how to effectively use Subversion. Whether new to revision control, coming from CVS or from some other RC system, the Subversion Book provides a very clear and often humorous guide to effectively deploying, administrating and using Subversion.

An excellent book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My most important Subversion reference, July 20, 2004

By	Blake Nicholson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is an excellent resource for novice and experienced Subversion users alike. The first two chapters provide background on why subversion came into existence and general version control concepts. Anybody new to Subversion should carefully read chapter 3. The 'Basic Work Cycle' section explains the day-to-day use of Subversion well.

Chapters 5 and 6 have been invaluable in setting up our repositories. I particularly recommend people read the section on choosing a repository layout prior to setting up their repository. Setting up a Subversion repository to be served through Apache is more complicated than a local repository, but the 'httpd' section of chapter 6 clearly covers what to do. We now have a Subversion repository served through Apache that authenticates users with client-side certificates and encrypts communications over SSL.

Chapter 7 provided the information I needed to really get Subversion working exactly as I wanted it to. I have modified my config file to set what files Subversion should ignore and also what properties to set automatically. In addition, we have set up our projects so that they all have transparent access to the company's reusable code library using the svn:externals property (covered in the externals definitions section).

Appendix A is the place to start if you are an experienced CVS user making the transition to Subversion. There are a few significant changes that you need to be aware of.

The examples in the book use the command-line client, but Appendix D (Third Party Tools) provides URLs for the many GUI clients available, if that's your preference.