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Re: Storing file-modification times (was Someone added new files to repository...)

From: Ryan Schmidt <subversion-2009b_at_ryandesign.com>
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:00:36 -0500

On Jun 8, 2009, at 15:03, Eric wrote:

> We're using Subversion to version a lot of stuff besides source
> files, e.g. policy-and-procedure documents, SRS, SDD, various and
> assorted project plans, etc.
>
> I suppose updating to time-of-checkout makes sense (sort of) for
> source files, but not for other stuff. Unfortunately TortoiseSVN
> doesn't seem to support "pro-choice" transparently... it seems you
> have to configure it to check out with time-of-checkout for those
> files for which you want that, and then reconfigure for
> time-of-commit otherwise.

I'm not familiar with what additional features TortoiseSVN might
offer on top of Subversion, but for Subversion itself, this is a
global client-side setting. You either set "use-commit-times" to
"yes" or "no", and this setting then takes effect from then on, for
all working copies on your machine, regardless what repository they
came from.

>> Another option some people want is to have Subversion use the actual
>> modification time of the file, as distinct from the commit time.
>
> Yes, that is my runaway #1 preference, leaves all other alternatives
> in the dust. I have had clients (and one of my partners, back when I
> was a partner in an engineering company) flat-out refuse to use
> Subversion, citing that as a big reason...

I understand. I believe I too would make use of this feature if it
existed.

> of course my partner also
> cited "concurrent versioning" as a big reason he refused to use it,
> so you can take that for what it's worth. :-\
>
>> http://subversion.tigris.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=1256

[snip]

> Interesting to note that I didn't see a single entry from anybody who
> did NOT want to be able to store mod times, and lots and lots from
> those who consider it virtually vital to at least have that as an
> option.
>
> Not that that would stop me from, y'know, USING Subversion or
> anything... :-)
>
> (It's really a fantastic piece of software despite such a serious
> problem...)

I think the issue is that for the people who currently develop
Subversion it is not a serious problem, perhaps not a problem at all,
or at least, not as serious as the other problems they're currently
working on. For example, a LOT of people wanted better merge tracking
in Subversion, so the developers worked hard to make that the
priority for Subversion 1.5. I'm sure there are other priorities
they're working on now for 1.7.

There was an old branch, the text-time branch, to implement the
requested behavior. This bitrotted, but in January 2009 Kristofer
Henriksson attached a new patch to the above ticket porting the
changes of this branch to trunk. I don't know what objections remain
to it being committed.

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Received on 2009-06-09 00:02:02 CEST

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