[Haskell-cafe] Re: cheap in-repo local branches (just needs implementation)

[Trent W. Buck]

Eric Kow <kowey at darcs.net> writes:

> [...] a branch switching tool, utilizing darcs' existing repository
> data stores, could be built [...] today [...] as a second/third-party
> tool to darcs.

I heartily approve of this approach.  In-repo branches are occasionally
useful to me, but the "pollution" of the VCS' interface has always been
a major turn-off.

The proposed solution allows new users to start with a Darcs that has a
one-to-one correspondence between repos and branches.  When I give Darcs
to someone who has been using tar(1) for version control, I do not need
to explain up-front the difference between a branch and a repo.

Later, when that user has developed VCS habits and is trusted to work on
larger group projects, I can introduce the additional complexity of in-
repo branching without overwhelming him.