TeamStreams

TeamStreams are a team programming thing, in VisualAge for Java Micro Edition, a bit like CVS, but better.

The only thing I can find on-line is (btw, the email address for IvanMoore has changed since then): http://ciclamino.dibe.unige.it/XP2000/summaries/GammaSummary.htm

IBM's eclipse has streams which are based on the same model, but are implemented on top of CVS: http://www.eclipse.org/documentation/html/plugins/org.eclipse.platform.doc.user/doc/reference/ref-51.htm

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I've used the streams in eclipse for a while and they do an excellent job of simplifying the age old job of catch up + merge. In fact streams are so good they almost entirely hide the fact that you are using a version control system from the dark ages (CVS).

However, Ivan has convinced me that the Eclipse streams are not as good as team streams in Java Micro Edition. I guess this comes down to the underlying limitations of CVS - there is no way to store meta data relating to an atomic release of many updated files. So rolling back after you have performed a release is erm - non-trivial. MpC

Would this be sorted out if Eclipse implemented streams on top of Subversion instead?

I doubt it. As I attempted to describe in SimpleVersionControl, existing file-based source-code systems are a very poor match for today's refactoring-intensive, project-based, fast-iterating development. Just about every developer needs some sort of "one button" resolve-conflicts/release or rollback process, and it seems crazy to have to manually tell CVS (and subversion!) that you have added a file to a project -- you don't have to tell it you have added a line to a file, and I don't see any important conceptual difference. And you just try to remove or rename a file in either! Sure, subversion preserves a bit more metadata, but it still doesn't solve the basic problem.

Look at a list of refactorings one day and see how many of them need you to manually (and dangerously) mess with your version-control system. If you can find a VC system which transparently copes with all the refactorings, then please tell us all --FrankCarver