DVCS or a new way to use Version Control Systems for FreeBSD
Ollivier Robert · 2006
FreeBSD, like many open source projects, uses CVS as its main version control system (VCS), which is an extended history of all modifications made since the beginning of the project in 1993. CVS is a cornerstone of FreeBSD in two ways: not only does it record the history of the project, but it is a fundamental tool for coordinating the development of the FreeBSD operating system. CVS is built around the concept of centralised repository, which has a number of limitations. Recently, a new type of VCS has arisen: Distributed VCS, one of the first being BK from Bit- Mover, Inc. Better known from the controversy it generated when Linus Torvalds started using it, it has nonetheless changed the way some people develop software. This paper explores the area of distributed VCS. We analyse two of them (Arch in its Bazaar(1) incarnation and Mercurial(2) and try to show how such a tool could help further FreeBSD devel- opment, both as a tool and as a new development process.