Gotchas
The following list clarifies a few aspects of CVS that can sometimes cause confusion:
- File orientation
While directories are supported, they aren’t versioned in the same way traditional files are. This is particularly important in the early evolutionary stages of a project, when the structure may be in flux. Also, if the project is undergoing major changes, the structure is likely to change. See Section 17.5.4.
- Text orientation
There is no equivalent to
diff
for binary files, although CVS’s support for binary files is usually sufficient. Useadmin -kb
to tell CVS a file is binary.- Line orientation
Moving a segment of code from one place in a file to another is seen as a delete (from the old location) and an unrelated add (to the new location).
- CVS is not syntax-aware
As far as CVS is concerned, small formatting changes are equivalent to sweeping logic changes in the same line ranges.
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