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CVS Pocket Reference

• Overview
• Review
• Follow-up

Overview

From the back cover text: "The CVS Pocket Reference is a quick reference guide to help administrators and users set up and manage source code development. This small book covers the core concepts of version control and includes a complete command reference and guide to configuration and repository setup."

Review

If you've been wandering around the GNU/Linux landscape for long you've no doubt run into CVS. CVS takes the idea of cryptic commands to an entirely new level. You probably already know what it's used for, you can probably guess why you should be using it, and you may have taken a look at the 1000+ line man page and figured screw it.

For my needs, the CVS Pocket Reference is exactly what I was looking for. The introduction to CVS is simple and to the point. In the first 30 pages the author goes from an explanation of "what is version control?", all the way to importing your projects into a cvsroot. This introduction doesn't waste time on trivial details and contains all the information you'd need to make sense of the files hidden in a cvsroot directory.

Starting on page 32, the author goes into the details that make a reference guide, listing out the various commands and flags for CVS. This information is well organized and thoroughly detailed. Combined with the 6 page index, finding the exact format of commands is a breeze.

I would definitely recommend this pocket reference to anyone who already understands the concept of CVS but has never tried to use it in a productive way. This title is absolutely to the point and no nonsense. Definitely a book to keep within an arm's reach.

Follow-up

Since I wrote this review I've transitioned over to maintaining all of my GNU/Linux work in CVS. I have to reiterate that this is a great guide for someone who is familiar with the concepts behind version control but unfamiliar with the peculiarities of CVS.

Follow-up comments -- JohnLightsey - 24 Mar 2004
Initial review -- JohnLightsey - 22 Jan 2004
Spell check & minor style corrections -- RickArchibald - 22 Jan 2004