Comparison between Vault and Evolution?

[dbinaz]

Do you have one somewhere? Or have any comments? Did anyone switch to vault from evolution? Let me know. Need to decide.

D

[Beth]

I'm checking into getting you more information. This isn't a product I'm familiar with. I looked over their website and I think I may have seen a few differences. I'll list here the things I think they don't have that we do based on what I read in their FAQ area.

--Support for installing with:
a) SQL 2000 and SQL 2005
b) Vista
c) The 64-bit versions of SQL, Vista, and Windows 2003 server.

The things I saw mentioned on the database seemed to say Access was the default database, and that is going to have some restrictions to it.

They also mentioned support for MCSCCI, but I didn't see any mention of VSIP, which is a new interface Microsoft created for use with Visual Studio. I don't know if Microsoft is going to move to VSIP in other things or not.

I don't see anything about bug tracking integration and they don't
appear to work with Eclipse. It doesn't seem like they've been around that long either.

Are there any specific things you are interested in?

Others can feel free to comment if they wish.

[dbinaz]

They do support any db

* Use the database of your choosing (JET, MSDE, SQL Server, MySQL, or any DBMS that offers an ODBC driver).

What we need is a system to be used for web devlopment (ColdFusion and ASP) and web designers (PSD's etc.) Something that can integrate with the editors we use. Dreamweaver CS3 (Evolution working on this), Photoshop (Evolution has this), Eclipse (Think both of you have it). I can't stand Eclipse, So I don't really care about it.

The price point is a little better with evo as well. $195/user competitive upgrade.

Here is a feature set, can you add whether you have this same functionality or something better?

• Ease of Use

• o Real time updating
  o Status Monitor window to show checked out files
  o No-click access to version lists and properties
  o Visual Studio integration
  o Familiar, intuitive interface
  o Show uncontrolled file option (diff with local working directory binding)
  o Immediate onscreen local status
  o Automatic binary handling
  o File obliteration to remove all traces from database and server, with built-in safety to prevent destruction of historical data
  o Included visual diffing utility
  o Image Diffing

• Networking & Remote Access

• o Built-in remote access, only Internet connectivity required
  o True TCP/IP client/server architecture
  o No VPN required
  o No drive mapping or mounting required
  o Usable over dialup
  o Supports usage through firewalls, forwarders and proxies

• Collaboration, Concurrent Development, and Workflow Modeling

• o Snapshot based architecture / Production units
  o Immutable historical "changesets" (Production versions)
  o Production versions are capable of being manipulated as a complete unit for inclusion with other components and projects
  o Visual tools to manage project versions
  o One-click visual comparison of projects
  o Componentization allows multiple versions of same component within a single project
  o Advanced branching model
  o Visual map of derivation to track codeline relationships
  o One-click visual comparison of projects
  o Many branch types for different situations
  o Clones: Traditional "branch"
  o Reflections: Automatically managed unidirectional code propagation
  o Shards: Traditional "branch on change"
  o Harmonizer for branch reconciliation, rebasing, and merging
  o Unlimited branch/workspace depth
  o Works in Progress for automatic handling of file-based private workspaces
  o Flexible locking
  o Exclusive checkouts
  o Shared/Concurrent checkouts
  o Deferred checkouts - Managed queue that lock assignments and email notifications occur automatically
  o Sharing - Zero-cost and reference-linked
  o Search tool allows powerful criteria to be constructed, saved, and reused
  o Search results exportable to HTML for dsitribution

• Process Automation

• o Promotion ladders define your development process
  o Event triggers implement your development process
  o Open, scriptable architecture
  o Supports usage with third-party tools
  o Command line utility - full featured interfaceless client for use in event triggers
  o Email utility to send notifications Evolution users, for instance, as part of a triggered event action (checkin)
  o Promotion ladders can be reused in different departments for different purposes, on different projects. Simply change the implementation of your process (set different event triggers)

• Database & Repository

• o Lightweight, Centralized database system for performance and reliability
  o Database agnostic - Supports any ODBC datasource
  o Database migration tool to move from default database (JET/Microsoft Access) to MSDE, Microsoft SQL Server, and MySQL.
  o Unlimited file and repository size
  o File system storage of physical file data
  o Database storage of metadata
  o No limitation on file size (except for operating system limitations)
  o File deltas used to conserve server space, with periodic full reference files for optimizating retrieval of historical data
  o CRC-based status generation guarantees accuracy (as opposed to date-based)

• Administration

• o Full utilities for management of users, security, triggers, and server included.
  o Robust, inheritance-based security model
  o Import tool for Visual SourceSafe
  o Complete documentation
  o Enforceable usage of exclusive or shared/concurrent checkouts
  o Enforceable usage of encryption, encryption type, and compression

Thanks,
Derek

[jclausius]

I cannot comment on the tool itself (not having used it), but I can try to answer any questions about Vault.

Vault is a configuration management (version control) tool based on the Microsoft .NET Framework using SQL Server for data storage. Vault was originally designed as a replacement for Visual SourceSafe (VSS), adopting many of the functionality and features of VSS. Vault has all the normal version control features you would expect: add, modify, delete, label, share, rename, label, history, etc.

Vault executes these commands through atomic change sets. With this feature, if a commit of one of the files causes a problem within the repository, the other changes do not take place. Vault also allows users to work in two different development modes - Edit, Merge and Commit as well as Lock, Edit, Merge, and Commit. In addition, Vault has built in branching and two way merging as well as the concept of folder sharing.

Vault's architecture is based on a lightweight web service model, designed to handle traffic over a LAN as well as a WAN (or Internet) or over a VPN. Since all traffic is web based, administration can be handled by firewall administrators allowing the web service based traffic to pass through the firewall. For added security with remote access, the Vault protocol can be encrypted via SSL.

Over the past five years Vault has matured to include new additional features improving the product. With Vault users can:

• Receive email notifications of changes.
• Save and run History Query favorites.
• View "live" file and status searches.
• See actual user changes to files or lines through Blame.
• View ghosted (non-controlled files and folders).
• Integration with work item tracking with Fortress or FogBugz.
• Integration with Continuous Integration products (Cruise Control .NET, Draco.NET).
• Robust integration with Visual Studio SDK (VSIP).
• Support for other IDEs (Dreamweaver, Eclipse).

In addition, other Developer Tool Vendors have been adding support for Vault Integration. SQL Editors, Build Tools, and other IDEs have adopted Vault using our client API to add Vault integration to their products.

I'd like to invite you to try a free demo. See the demo page at http://www.sourcegear.com/vault/demo.html.

If I glossed over a feature or you have other questions, please let me know.