Re: svn needs a patch subcommand (Was svn ci/up --xml-file)

Mo DeJong <supermo@bayarea.net> writes:

> Here is an initial implementation of the svn patch subcommand that
> was discussed in my previous post.

Mo, I see two different needs:

   1. Subversion users need to be able to trade patches with one
       another, and the patches need to describe not only property
       changes, but tree deltas (e.g. deleting/adding/renaming
       directories as well as files.)

       We already have an XML patch format that does this; the only
       thing that's missing is an enhancement that would allow it to
       contain unidiff data (instead of binary patch data), so it
       becomes human-readable.

   2. Subversion users need to be able to create patches for CVS or
       other non-Subversion users. An 'svn patch' subcommand should
       be similar to CVS's -- generate standard patch files.

I'm confused, because it sounds like you're blurring these two cases.
It sounds like you're trying to push us into extending the current
standard patch format until it can eventually do everything our XML
format *already* does. Why reinvent the wheel?
 
I agree that Subversion needs to produce ordinary patches; and it
should make the best use of this format that it can, given the
limitations. But that's all that needs to be done. If you want nifty
new patch formats, why don't you help Kevin finish task #1?

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Received on Sat Oct 21 14:36:41 2006