Revision Control


RCS on the RiscOS operating system


[What is it?] [How does it help me?] [Why RCS and not another system?] [How does RCS work?]

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See the latest state of affairs of RCS for RiscOS.

You might want to read some general information on RCS and how it operates. For some background info see a list of RCS commands. Useful are the details on the port to RiscOS. These pages are also included in the RCS package.

Download RCS for RiscOS v5.7.1.2 [1.13 Mb] (includes gdiff and diff3).

The original RCS v5.7 sources are available from GNU. Download my version of the .c and .h files and a RiscOS Makefile [270 kb].


What is it?


Revision control is an automated system for programmers to keep track of the changes they make in their source files. It allows you to: Back to top

How does it help me?

If any of the following things ever happened to you, then revision control is the thing for you. Back to top

Why RCS and not another system?

I chose RCS, the Revision Control System, because it was available from GNU and is pleasant for the user to work with. The sources are for free, and may be modified by anyone who is interested. Like me.
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How does RCS work?

Note: this bit refers to the command line version of RCS. The RiscOS version will have a different user interface.
It works by making an RCS file for each file you want to put under control. This is basically a file with the latest version of the source file, with codes added with which older revisions can be reconstructed. It also keeps useful information, if so desired, about the name and location of the file, the dates and version numbers of each revision, who made each change, the comment that was added to each revision and lots more. See also the list of RCS commands.

The basic commands allow you to:

These commands can also be run on many files simultaneously. This enables you to, e.g., check out all source files (.c and .h) of a C program which then allows you to compile the lot. You can also check in a group of files in which you made some modifications which all apply to the same change in the end product. These files will then get the same date and time, and the same comment.
The system is not limited to purely source files. It can be work on any file which is text. This includes Make files, !Run and !Boot files, Message files and Help files.
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For questions, remarks, suggestions, comments etc. see the contacts page

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