Almost a year ago, we wrote about Versions, a program designed to bring an intuitive and attractive interface to the Subversion version control system. Now, Made by Sofa has finally released the first beta.
Although Versions isn't the only game in town for accessing Subversion repositories through methods other than the command line, it is certainly the best looking, and at least in the few minutes I've spent with it, the most Mac-like. The application is beautiful and the interface is very easy to use and understand.
Although Versions isn't the only game in town for accessing Subversion repositories through methods other than the command line, it is certainly the best looking, and at least in the few minutes I've spent with it, the most Mac-like. The application is beautiful and the interface is very easy to use and understand.
After entering in the location of your SVN repository (or local folder if you are working on something locally), you are presented with three different options: Timeline, Browse, and Transcript. The Timeline view shows all the changes that have been made to the repository trac, clicking on a file name brings up a window showing the file before and after, side-by-side, making it extremely easy to see what was changed (changed lines are highlighted).
The Browse view basically looks like an FTP window and makes it easy to browse all the files and directories in a repository. From there, you can compare differences, show history and checkout the file if you want to make changes. If you have change access, you can then implement those on the fly.
The transcript menu is pretty much just a log of all your actions during your Versions session.
I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with Versions from what I have seen thus far. The application is intuitive and easy to use and the interface is very, very clean. That said, I know that most of the Open Source projects I follow are switching to Git in rapid succession, so it is unclear how that change will affect clients like Versions.
The beta version says it is expiring in 26 days, so if you are a developer who is either sick of terminal or a little scared of Subversion, give it a shot! Versions requires OS X 10.4.9 or higher, though the developers recommend 10.5.2 or higher.
The Browse view basically looks like an FTP window and makes it easy to browse all the files and directories in a repository. From there, you can compare differences, show history and checkout the file if you want to make changes. If you have change access, you can then implement those on the fly.
The transcript menu is pretty much just a log of all your actions during your Versions session.
I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with Versions from what I have seen thus far. The application is intuitive and easy to use and the interface is very, very clean. That said, I know that most of the Open Source projects I follow are switching to Git in rapid succession, so it is unclear how that change will affect clients like Versions.
The beta version says it is expiring in 26 days, so if you are a developer who is either sick of terminal or a little scared of Subversion, give it a shot! Versions requires OS X 10.4.9 or higher, though the developers recommend 10.5.2 or higher.
Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-04-2008 @ 2:56PM
Michael Bleigh said...
Seems like unfortunate timing...Subversion is on its way out. Let me know when it supports Git!
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6-04-2008 @ 3:24PM
DJCarbon43 said...
Git is for posers... Look at me! I'm leeter than you! I use something Linus pooped out of his butt!
6-04-2008 @ 3:40PM
Bogey said...
SVN on it's way out? I hadn't heard that. Can you point me to somewhere where it's documented? And if so, any idea as to what might become it's replacement or at least where would people migrate to?
6-04-2008 @ 3:40PM
CaptSaltyJack said...
SVN is on its way out? What planet do you live on?
6-04-2008 @ 3:48PM
DJCarbon43 said...
Great, just great.
I'll do introductions...
EMacs vs. VIM, meet SVN vs. Git, SVN vs. Git meet EMacs vs. VIM.
6-04-2008 @ 4:05PM
Christina Warren said...
Heh, OK, fair enough. For people that want to access SVN repositories from within Git, there are pretty easy ways to do it (http://www.robbyonrails.com/articles/2008/04/10/git-svn-is-a-gateway-drug and http://git.or.cz/course/svn.html), though the interface is hardly as slick as Versions.
Whether Git is better or not is almost irrelevant, but ever since Rails moved back in April, a slew of projects seem to be making the transition.
6-05-2008 @ 9:54AM
oZ said...
Subversion is not on the way out if you're using subversion in a corporate environment, or have a real build process, or even like tagging. Don't be a fanboy. Saying Git is taking over is like saying Ruby on Rails is taking over. It's the new fad, but it'll be over soon.
6-04-2008 @ 2:59PM
Jérôme said...
Versions indeed look really nice, but ZigVersion as GUI-Client works for me fine, too.
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6-04-2008 @ 3:10PM
lpalli said...
Very nice!
I think the ultimate GUI for Subversion for Mac.
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6-04-2008 @ 3:22PM
Jason said...
I might've cared a year ago, but I've switched primarily to Git. Seems like this app is a little too late to the party for me as well.
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 3:22PM
Think Adrian said...
Finally! I've waited 1,5 yrs for the beta. Thought it might be vapor ware
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6-04-2008 @ 3:32PM
Luke le said...
Finally! I've been waiting for it like forever now (to be exact, since tuaw first reported about it). Can't wait to give it a try!
... And hopefully they add bazaar support it (dreaming)
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 3:48PM
CaptSaltyJack said...
BTW, Sofa are the people behind the burning application Disco. I hope support for Versions isn't as horrible as it is for Disco!
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6-04-2008 @ 9:36PM
Mike said...
Exactly! Though the thing Austin Sarner in not involved into VersionsApp development makes things safer.
The best guarantee of not getting any money from me for any particular project is to get anyone of those Delicious Generation "developers" involved (mydreamapp, disco..)
6-05-2008 @ 4:42AM
Think Adrian said...
i like disco, actually. Clean, simple, does what it's meant to do. Toast 8 was a downgrade with it's ugly, slow animation progress-window, and takes up so much space if all you want to do is burn an image or copy a disc.
6-05-2008 @ 10:41AM
CaptSaltyJack said...
Right, I'm not saying Disco as an application isn't cool (though lacking in a few crucial things). I'm just saying the support is horrible.
6-04-2008 @ 4:15PM
FoundInTheFlood said...
I don't even understand what this app does, could someone cut the neusprech and explain it in a way that people who never used this kind of applications understand what it's all about? i know repositorys only from the iphone, and what do they have to do with timelines?!?!
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 4:14PM
Christina Warren said...
If you want to access the source code for an open source or collaborative project, Subversion is one of the most common ways those files and the various versions of the files (so that each change is recorded and logged) are managed and accessed.
Instead of using Terminal to access the files from the command line, this program allows a more FTP-client like approach, so that you can see the files and then select them, see what changes have been made, submit your own changes (if you have access), download the new builds, etc.
If you aren't a developer on a project or you don't want to access the latest builds of a program, this type of program probably won't interest you.
6-04-2008 @ 4:18PM
FoundInTheFlood said...
aaaah ok thanks, so its a programmers thing ;)
Reply
6-04-2008 @ 4:49PM
Eric Clemmons said...
I've had pretty good success with ZigVersion (http://zigversion.com/). It seems about as clean & uncluttered as you can get, and supports Diff'ing (via FileMerge) files (especially when Checking In)
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