Re: GNOME DVCS Survey Results

[Sandy Armstrong <sanfordarmstrong gmail com>]

On 01/06/2009 02:09 AM, Ruben Vermeersch wrote:
> What if this user publishes his branch using bzr (which works fine with
> the GNOME servers).
>
> How will I merge this branch, if I'm using git?
>
> It looks to me that with the git+bzr proposal, we're being forced to
> learn both systems anyway. We can control what's going on on our own
> servers, but not what happens outside.
>
> So don't tell us it's equivalent. It's not. And let's not forget the
> broad confusion that will arise from the fact that part of the
> developers advice you to use git and other parts advice you to use bzr.
>
> I am exceedingly less convinced that the advantages of supporting both
> outweigh the disadvantages (looking at the usage patterns, not the
> technical merits).
>    

I was on the fence about this, especially because I prefer bzr to git.  
But Ruben is right on the money.  Implementing DVCS should not raise the 
barrier for entry for contributors.  It should not make it *harder* for 
maintainers to accept patches/branches.  If 70% of GNOME goes one way 
and 30% goes another way, it will suck for everybody.

We need one official VCS for GNOME.  The hybrid solution really only 
makes sense if that one VCS is bzr, which (sadly) seems to go against 
popular opinion.  So assuming we have the manpower to do the git 
conversion and the tools to make it rock (viewvc, giorious, whtaever), 
let's JFDI.

Man I'm tempted to make a pun about committing right now...

Sandy