Post by thread:[EE]: Web server interfaced version control system

I've recently been developing alot of different versions of code and it's starting to become "interesting" keeping track of it all. I was wondering if anybody can point me to a free VCS that can be completely accessed from a web browser (accessing a webserver running on Linux). It can't be an "online" type tool since the code can't leave the building. I've had a look and found bazaar. It looks pretty slick (took me about 5 minutes to get it working, impressive), but even though it can use a web server to store it's data, unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a way to access or update the branches over a web browser. The reason I need the "web browser" interface is my users aren't necessarily adept at using the command line, a web interface to the repository would be much more useful. Any suggestions? Thanks, TTYL

On Apr 3, 2008, at 1:52 PM, Herbert Graf wrote: > I was wondering if anybody can point me to a free VCS that can be > completely accessed from a web browser (accessing a webserver > running on > Linux). Subversion seems to be s "standard." I don't know whether it meets your needs for web-based; while it IS web based, and can be browsed from a browser, my (very limitted experience is that you need actual tools for the more complex operations (check out, etc.) However - lots of open source. (I think that almost every SCCS I've used has ended up having assorted "wrapper" applications to make the specifics "easier" to do in the exact target environment...) BillW

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 1:52 PM, Herbert Graf <spam_OUThgrafTakeThisOuTemail.com> wrote: > > The reason I need the "web browser" interface is my users aren't > necessarily adept at using the command line, a web interface to the > repository would be much more useful. I'm not sure if git can do that, as I've only used it as a read-only user: http://git.kernel.org/ Or what about using SVN with a GUI frontend like TortioseSVN? Alex

> The reason I need the "web browser" interface is my users aren't > necessarily adept at using the command line, a web interface to the > repository would be much more useful. > > Any suggestions? > A web interface just isn't going to cut it, the web interfaces to version control systems are great for browsing but the main operations on a version control system like importing, checking out, updating and committing require working on whole trees of your files at once. Web browsers just don't offer that. I would suggest subversion with svnweb for browsing and a graphical client like tortoisesvn for those users with an irrational fear of the command line.

> > I would suggest subversion with svnweb for browsing minor correction, i'm sure I remember a client called svnweb but I can't seem to find it anymore, it seems the dominant subversion web client is viewvc (formerlly known as viewcvs from the days when that was all it supported) but I don't know if it is the best.

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 3:52 PM, Herbert Graf <.....hgrafKILLspam@spam@email.com> wrote: > I've recently been developing alot of different versions of code and > it's starting to become "interesting" keeping track of it all. > > I was wondering if anybody can point me to a free VCS that can be > completely accessed from a web browser (accessing a webserver running on > Linux). > > Any suggestions? > I like "trac". works with SVN. Regards, Mark markrages@gmail -- Mark Rages, Engineer Midwest Telecine LLC markragesKILLspammidwesttelecine.com

Herbert Graf wrote: > I was wondering if anybody can point me to a free VCS that can be > completely accessed from a web browser (accessing a webserver running on > Linux). It can't be an "online" type tool since the code can't leave the > building. As others have mentioned, Subversion is pretty common among the Linux camps... CVS is also pretty common as well... and there are web tools as well. CVS has been around a long tiem, Subversion was written later. Asking which is better among open source developers is akin to asking the "C versus Assembly" question here... -forrest

Forrest Christian wrote: > Herbert Graf wrote: >> I was wondering if anybody can point me to a free VCS that can be >> completely accessed from a web browser (accessing a webserver running on >> Linux). It can't be an "online" type tool since the code can't leave the >> building. > As others have mentioned, Subversion is pretty common among the Linux > camps... > > CVS is also pretty common as well... and there are web tools as well. > > CVS has been around a long tiem, Subversion was written later. Asking > which is better among open source developers is akin to asking the "C > versus Assembly" question here... And when talking about CVS, there are still many around who think that CVSNT is "CVS for Windows" -- which it isn't. CVSNT is a branch of CVS with builds for Linux and other OSes that has some significant improvements over CVS. Although the web frontends for CVS I know don't support the advanced features of CVSNT, I agree with the other poster who wrote that web frontends have general limitations for more involved operations. That's why most VCSs have some kind of client application (TortoiseCVS in this case; while it works with standard CVS also, it needs a CVSNT server to be able to provide the user with all its features.) You probably want to look for a server/client combination that fits your needs. In many cases (well, at least with CVS and CVSNT :) you have several different clients available, with different UI characteristics. For CVS/CVSNT the more commonly known are WinCvs (and its sister projects for Mac and Linux), CrossVC and TortoiseCVS. Gerhard

I've worked with a lot of source control packages (PVCS, Source Safe before it was bought by MS, CVS, Subversion) as well as one I CAN'T recall from the early 80's (it was cheap and the company I worked for only allowed me to buy BECAUSE it was cheap). Subversion rocks. I have it on my system here at the house on my server. You can set it up as an HTTPS to be really, REALLY secure if you want. I really, really, hate the idea of trying to turn the browser into a "multi-application" tool - it really, really sucks at it. A decent GUI dedicated to a design is very easy to do. TortoiseSVN is wonderful on Windows (even for the ignorant). As for linux... well, the choices are not quite as clear (I use RapidSVN because it also has a Mac client). Good luck! Lloyd