Source Code Version Control Solutions - Going Commercial and Concluding Thoughts
(Page 4 of 4 )
The commercial revision control and configuration management suite I promised to discuss is called IBM Rational ClearCase®. Rational Software is a division of IBM. Without any doubt this is a state-of-art product: reliable, feature-rich, proven and tested. Thousands of high-profile companies and corporations bank on it. However, all of this comes for a fair charge that is understandable. Its architecture and design are proprietary.
At the time of writing, the so-called "IBM Rational ClearCase Floating User License + SW Subscription & Support 12 Months" license cost US$4,380. The product is cross-platform and integrates into the most common IDEs such as Visual Studio, Eclipse, TextPad, NetBeans, and so forth. It also sports unique features that cannot be found in open-source counterparts. For a somewhat detailed list of features, check out this site.
All in all, we must say that while the first two open source solutions would suffice for almost any kind of environment and software development company, if you needs an advanced and more complex suite then you simply cannot go wrong with IBM Rational ClearCase. Surely, it would be overkill for small business or personal use. But the price charged for licenses in case of medium-to-large organizations is worth it.
Revision control systems are "client/server" suites. Because of this, there's the possibility of using stand-alone clients. For the most popular open source SCM/VCS solutions, such as the CVS and SVN, there are more than a few client utilities for various operating systems. Usually for Linux there's not that much of a need, because working within a console is just pure pleasure for *NIX developers, isn't that right?
But for Microsoft Windows, there is one remarkable client that should be named here. It's called Tortoise. Which version of it you use depends upon your favored system.
There are two totally different clients for both of the revision control systems. The first one was TortoiseCVS. Developers designed the second one, TortoiseSVN, following the same idea. In short, they are client interfaces that integrate seamlessly into Windows Explorer. It's a front-end UI for the necessary commands.
And finally, we can't really finish without inviting you to join our helpful forums at DevHardware Forums. We've a strong base of resident professionals, enthusiasts, and tech experts. If you want to hear opinion on some issues or ask some clarifications regarding some details just shoot us with your questions. We'll do our best to help. Also, don't forget to visit the forums of our sister-site at DevShed Forums.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
