The source
code and documentation for ViSta 6.0 is open to
those who wish to enhance ViSta for the benefit
of ViSta's user community. Access is
provided via a CVS
(Concurrent Versioning System) server.
The UNC-CH's ViSta-CVS server provides a central
"repository" of the most recent version of the ViSta
code and documentation files. ViSta developers may
at any time create a personal copy of these files.
If at a later date newer versions of the files are
put into the repository, you can update your copy.
You may
edit your copy of the files freely. If new versions
of the files have been put in the repository in
the meantime, doing an update merges the changes
in the central copy into your copy. (It can be that
when you do an update, the changes in the central
copy clash with changes you have made in your own
copy. In this case cvs warns you, and you have to
resolve the clash in your copy.)
CVS supports
branching, multiple users, and remote collaboration.
It maintains a history of all changes made to each
directory tree it manages. Using this history, CVS
can recreate past states of the tree, and show a
user when, why and by whom a given change was made.
CVS runs
on a Unix server, as described at the Cyclic
Software site. CVS works with clients
on Windows,
Mac and Unix.
It also works via FTP and over NT, AFS and NFS network
file systems. For more about CVS see, in particular,
the MacCVS site.
A description about UNC's installation is available
at About
CVS at UNC. Also, we recommend the following book, which contains philosophical chapters on open source development, as well as "how-to" chapters on CVS:
Fogel,
Karl. Open Source Development with CVS. CoriolisOpen
Press. ISBN 1-57610-490-7. $39.99
Next: Accessing UNC-CVS