VSS 2008? What is the next MS Generation in Source Control?
gangelo
Will there be a VSS 2008 or is there/will there be a next gen source control
software that I can or will be able to use? Is there anything in the Visual
Studio 2008 family that I can upgrade to that can be used by a sole developer
on a stand-alone workstation?
Jeff Clausius
AFAIK, VSS 2005 is the last major release of this product line. I
suppose there may be maintenance releases, but that would be about all.
Also, it seems the end of life support for VSS 2005 will expire around
the 2011-2012 time frame.
In regards to next gen source control software, there are many solutions
out there - some available via open source and others (like my company's
products) commercially. A simple internet search for "version control"
or "source code control" should provide you with the info you seek.
Microsoft even has a new version control tool; however, at the time of
this writing it is a bit on the pricey side (but that might possibly be
addressed later this year).
Before starting your search, you should examine your own development
needs and requirements. Make a list of this and use it to help evaluate
the different tools out there. With the vast diversity of tools, there
should be something that meets your needs.
Finally, a plug. SourceGear (http://www.sourcegear.com) sells two
different solutions for users with VSS backgrounds - SourceOffSite and
Vault. One of these might meet your needs.
SourceOffSite is an add-on for VSS which provides a brand new "Office"
type UI with support for Windows 7 and remote capabilities. This tool
is for people who will still need to leverage code stored in a VSS
database for the foreseeable future.
Vault on the other hand is a version control tool which provides the
same look and feel as VSS (in order to keep the learning curve low), but
also adds new features such as atomic transactions (change sets), SQL
Server data storage, shelving, and an enhanced Visual Studio client to
name a few. Vault can import your VSS data and is also Free for single
developers.
Good luck in your search, and Happy New Year.
Jeff Clausius
SourceGear