I felt that this was worth a blog-post.
So here we are. XCode (Apple’s interactive development system for building applications) version 4 has been released to the general public. I am wonderfully pleased with the simplification/unification efforts but XCode4 has me scratching my head why Apple would remove CVS support.
I look around me and all I see is CVS — sourceforge.net still firmly embraces CVS. Is this a sign that Apple doesn’t like open-source ventures such as sourceforge.net? Was maintaining CVS support too difficult? Were there some capabilities that were lacking in CVS?
As a person well entrenched in the ways of CVS, I find it ineffable that I might have to migrate sizable iOS projects to some other SCM system such as Subversion (SVN) or Git just to maintain GUI integration within XCode. Mind you, I have no qualms with doing all SCM from the command-line and leaving XCode as a debugger/profiler/analyzer/compiler/editor/builder (though I have to admit, having CVS SCM built-in to XCode 3 was oh-so nice — in-fact I use to pitch it to co-workers as a “does everything” editor that could even be used for unix projects too, optionally replacing a system of Makefiles).
I can only hope and pray that in the coming weeks/months, there is an overwhelming public outcry over the removal of CVS from XCode 4 and that Apple — hopefully being the kind-hearted and in-touch kind of people I could only imagine them to be — might resurrect this industry-standard (truly a fallen comrade). Until then, back to the command-line.
–
admin -ko,
Devin
P.S. If Apple decides to subsequently remove the command-line utility from the Developer Tools installation, I’ll be turning to MacPorts, Fink, or compile it from source (yeah, I’m that determined to use CVS).
P.P.S. With tools like gource [ http://code.google.com/p/gource/ ], nobody in their right mind would switch from their current SCM to any other unless their 15+ year commit history was guaranteed to be preserved in the conversion process.
I fully Agree!! It’s a shame!
I can understand Apple, why support something they do not use and give it for free? So tell me better what to do? All my repositories are CVS based. I do not like SVN, it works slower and has weird file versions like 6439, when CVS tells clear 1.34. I tried install Git, but it doesn’t start at all. My servers are WIndows based.
I will not be able to use my Mac for development any longer without CVS support. I hate to have to revert to Windows! Apple! Please reinstate CVS for us.
It should be available at
/Developer/usr/bin/cvs
if you install the new Xcode.
Yea .. I can able to c the an unix executable file named cvs under /Developer/usr/bin/cvs on my mac …. but didn’t get how to use that ? to maintain my iOS app on CVS. Can you please clear me here ?
You put the lime in the coconut and drink the arictle up.
Thanks a lot for tracking this down I have also been tniyrg to get this set up. I found that svn’s command-line tools worked fine, and BBedit worked fine, but XCode gave error 180001. Minutes before finding your post, I found one more clue in XCode’s log output: in addition to the 180001, it was putting out Error: 160043 (Unsupported FS format) Description: Expected FS format ’2 ; found format ’3 which led me to suspect what you confirmed, and what you provided a workaround for. Many thanks!
Yeah .. its really a mess up .. removing the CVS configuration .. hope apple will revert back it
I am also suffering from the same issue. We have 10 years of sources maintained using CVS. We can not think of any other tool and migration down time. Its pity that I have to use two different interface for any XCode project. Command line for CVS and XCOde for debugging :-(.
I too am mystified why Apple would remove this support. I have no issues with them adding functionality for people that are starting out today with GIT or some other SCM tool but to remove CVS when its been used for so many years is totally ludicrous. What are those people thinking???
At least its still avialable in the Xcode download but…….
CVS is available in the latest XCode (version 4.3.1), but paths have moved around.
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 1405152 Mar 9 02:53 /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr/bin/cvs
Add the directory to your PATH and you’re set.