Honestly, the situation is pretty pitiful. Subversion, for those not in the know, is a popular version control system like CVS or many proprietary systems used in the workplace. It allows you to store and time-stamp your work as you progress, allowing you to always locate the latest version of a file, and roll back to a previous version if your current work becomes irrevocably screwed.
There are basically 2 parts to a Subversion system.
- The Subversion repository where you save/upload the files, containing your structure (branch, tags, trunk, whatever)
- A Subversion client that interfaces with the repository
A little while ago, Google rolled out a free subversion repository for anyone working on Open Source projects at code.google.com. Since the core of Subversion is command-line based, Google Code is nice because it gives you a web interface by which to browse the files and structure of the project, but to really harness the system and integrate it into your workflow, you need a client that will do the heavy lifting for you. Checkout files, comment on them, check them back in (version them), etc.
Now, from what I can tell (because I haven’t honestly touched a PC in years), the scenario in the windows world is somewhat taken care of. There is Tortoise SVN that lets you essentially use Windows Explorer to take care of your work (via right click), and then there are built-in solutions via IDE’s and standalone apps like Aptana. The problem is that Windows people are used to kitchen sink apps, but they don’t get very far in the mac world. Having tools like Textmate and Transmit has spoiled us into thinking all software should seamlessly blend in with the OS, and be easily navigated. And what do we have as a result? No clear killer app.
Since I use SVN at home and at work, I’m constantly trying to find that perfect program that will make the process feel like less of a chore, and more of a natural process that I’m more likely to integrate. I’ve tried SVNx, a mac-tortoise if you will, but it started tampering with my finder windows, and I had to kill it. I also tried SmartSVN, but this is the closest thing to a windows app I’ve found on the PC since MS Office. When it wasn’t crashing, it presented overly verbose instructions for home-made functions which seemed redundant and wholly unattractive. Maybe this is because I use the free version, and they are trying to subtly steer me towards the pro version, but I cringe at the thought of loading it up and checking in my data. That said, it is what I currently (forced to) use.
To give you an example of how desperate I am for a good user experience with SVN, I even tried to get Textmate’s SVN bundle working for a solid 3 hours. Talk about a user experience nightmare. First you need to install the bundle from Textmate’s servers. Then you need to install SVN for Terminal via command line. Quit, re-open. Then enable command line tools for textmate. Then create and save PGP keys (since Textmate doesn’t have a password prompt). Then try to create a shell variable (TM_SVN) via the preferences pane so that Textmate knows where the repository lives (talk about flexible), and then access your files. I never got to this point because TM couldn’t access the Dir that my TM_SVN variable pointed to, and hung every time. Back to Smart SVN I went.
So far everything you have read has been a long way to get to what I really want to talk about: Made By Sofa’s Versions. Made By Sofa is a small Danish software company that I put on par with Panic in terms of attention to detail and quality software. They are the creators of Checkout, a killer mac-only Point of Sale app, and also Disco, the much hyped disc burning software that smokes as you burn your data. Their products (and their websites) are stunning and expertly crafted. Great icons, navigation, the lot.
Predictably, I was very excited to find out that they were bringing their expertise and genius to SVN, and were releasing their take on the Subversion client. I immediately stuck my email address in the mailing list and patiently waited for a beta to test out. Deep down, I just knew that even a beta from Made By Sofa would be better than any v1 app on the market today, and that it would be worth the wait. So I waited. And waited. By my count, the coming soon site has been up for a least a year if not longer, and I have yet to hear about ANYONE seeing the app in the wild. Normally I would write this off on a small or part-time development team, but I happen to know that Sofa is an amazing machine that rarely stops. When a client of mine wanted a POS system, I immediately pointed them to Checkout. Within a month of ownership, a member of the Sofa team emailed me because they liked the site I had made for the client, and wanted to showcase the store on their main site as a spotlight use. Obviously they are tracking who uses their stuff and constantly want to build rep. So where the devil is Versions?
The real kicker is that if you google “best mac subversion client,” Versions is the top hit. The best solution for Mac doesn’t exist yet. SUCK.
What do you use to keep your work secure? Do you have a solution I don’t use here? Can you get me into the Versions beta? Please share:
Hi Eli,
I’ve been on the Versions waiting list so long I had completely forgotten about it. Have you tried Zig Version?
After trying SmartSVN and the finder plugin I discovered Zig Version and have not looked back. It has a basic interface(in a good way) and works like a treat. I’m using it on Leopard but I assume that it works on previous OS.
Try SCPlugin — it’s actually trying to be like TortoiseSVN. That is, it’s a Finder extension that links the svn C libraries right in. It’s getting pretty usable now, and I expect it to become the ’standard’ like TortoiseSVN eventually.
@alan - thanks so much for the zig link! I haven’t installed it yet, but from the looks of the screencast, it appears to be simple in all the right ways.
Still have hopes for versions though…
@ben SCPlugin is actually what I meant to reference when I said “SVNx” in the post. I had issues with the plugin trying to “checkin” my entire drive, and not fully checking out certain files. All in all, while I got it working in the end, I was left with a feeling of uncertainty as to whether my files had been completely versioned and save. Needless to say, when you are trying to protect your work, uncertainty is the last thing you want. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on it as it progresses.
Thanks to both of you!
I’ve always found Tortoise annoying. I don’t mind the concept of GUI svn, but I don’t like it integrated into Windows Explorer like that.
Unlike Windows, Macs do have a decent shell. Have you considered using the command line program that ships with subversion?
@chaz - I gave it a try, but was told to look elsewhere for more verbose functions like “comments”, “blame” etc. Plus, being able to diff with some gui is nice.
Are you able to accomplish 100% of what the GUI provides via command line? If so, that might be the root of the issue: people telling me not to use it because they didn’t understand it.
I tried to install and setup Versions beta, but I couldn’t find any way to specify my ssh key… ?
I think if you have the keys stored, it should detect it automatically, and just not prompt for a password. is this not so?