Scrapping RCS (fwd)

Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 13:50:19 -0300 (ADT)
From: Edward Dyer <aa146@chebucto.ns.ca>
To: "David L. Potter" <potter@chebucto.ns.ca>
cc: Mike Cormier <aq421@chebucto.ns.ca>, michael@csuite.ns.ca, "Andrew D. Wright" <adw@chebucto.ns.ca>, editors@chebucto.ns.ca, ccn-tech@chebucto.ns.ca
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <editors-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>

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Hi David and others

RCS (not withstanding the groans from most of you :) is GREAT.

But there is a BIG PROBLEM.  In all the time that we have used RCS
in the Chebucto Suite system, it has never proven to be of any value
to any users EXCEPT for those who have shell accounts or developer
privileges. Well I exaggerate - I have heard of an instance where
someone actually took a copy of an RCS file and recreated the
original file using the Pico editor.  But we haven't ever created
any interface to RCS for ordinary users that is of any value except
as a very ugly, arcane, nearly useless version of a file's
historical record. 

In my personal experience, I have almost never had any problems
using RCS, but then I've been a user for so long that the
system is used to me :-)  But it has never been any benefit to me
except in the development arena.

So I agree STRONGLY with the complainers - it serves no useful
purpose, it breaks when users try to do things behind its back, it
wastes diskspace*, inodes, and cpu cycles.  So let's get rid of it
AS FAR AS the IP area is concerned. 

We can discuss separately on the ccn-tech list whether we should
also remove RCS (and therefore also CVS) from the help and system
areas (I think there are still pros and maybe con's there.) 

Issues that need to be addressed, off the top of my head (others can
add items they know about)

The editor script
The install script
The ftp daemon
The auto-unzipper, if it's still running
How will the above know what areas they should still use RCS for?
Significant changes to documentation around editing process (long
overdue anyway :)

As far as whether there should be a substitute process to keep
backup copies of files, I think that is a good question.  One way
that would work for text users would be to keep backup files (the
ones with the appended ~) and purge them after say 24 hours.  I
think we do that anyway (unless it's broken, or at least we used
to.) The ftp daemon could be configured to do likewise, although
anyone who is used to uploading files by ftp would have no
expectation that we would keep old copies onsite; therefore let's
not.  Just document it.  Do we need to look at file locking for
read contention with httpd and Lynx during upload?

Ed

Ed Dyer aa146@chebucto.ns.ca   (902) H 826-7496  CCN Postmaster
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~aa146/    W 426-4894  CSuite Technical Workshop
Religion Page Editor, Chebucto Community Network http://www.chebucto.ns.ca

* I saw one IP site where the RCS files were 16 megabytes for a 4
megabyte website!

On Wed, 4 Oct 2000, David L. Potter wrote:

> Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 13:12:29 -0300 (ADT)
> From: "David L. Potter" <potter@chebucto.ns.ca>
> To: Mike Cormier <aq421@chebucto.ns.ca>,
>     Edward Dyer <aa146@chebucto.ns.ca>
> Cc: michael@csuite.ns.ca, "Andrew D. Wright" <adw@chebucto.ns.ca>,
>     editors@chebucto.ns.ca, ccn-tech@chebucto.ns.ca
> Subject: Re: Scrapping RCS (fwd)
> 
> 
> Hi Mike,
> 
> I'd like to hear the views of Ed Dyer and and other interested editors 
> before we decide to pull the plug. 
> 
> I'd also like to review the possibility of a 'one day' back-up of the IP 
> directories that we could keep on-site.
> 
> And finally, we should also give IP's and users a couple of days notice 
> before turning it off...
> 
> david potter
> 
> 
> On Wed, 4 Oct 2000, Mike Cormier wrote:
> 
> > Michael, David;
> > 	Sharon is in agreement with me and Andrew, can we arrange to have
> > RCS scrapped ASAP is it is now more problem than bother?
> > 	Mike
> > 
> > 
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > Date: Wed, 4 Oct 2000 10:09:35 -0300
> > From: sparker@chebucto.ns.ca
> > To: "Michael J. Cormier" <mcormier@chebucto.ns.ca>
> > Subject: Re: Scrapping RCS
> > 
> > I think you should ask Michael Smith to do it, as David Potter seems to have 
> > agreed. I don't know enough about it to be able to form an opinion, but from a 
> > political point of view, I say let's do it, as it seems to be a good idea.
> > 
> > Sharon
> > 
> > Quoting "Michael J. Cormier" <mcormier@chebucto.ns.ca>:
> > 
> > > Sharon;
> > >     What is the way to formally request that we drop the RCS system or
> > > is The Editor in Chief and the Office wanting it removed enough? should
> > > this be ran by the board?
> > >     Mike
> > > 
> > > 
> > 
> > 
> > ---------------------------------------------------------------
> >  This mail was sent through the Nova Scotia Provincial Server, 
> >  with technical resources provided by Chebucto Community Net.
> >  http://nsaccess.ns.ca/mail/         http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/
> > 
> 


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