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<pancake@phreaker.net>.
CVS Utilities is a set of scripts that operate on working directories of
CVS (Concurrent Versions System).
Unlike some other version control systems, it's common for CVS
repository to reside on a remote system. Unfortunately, the standard
CVS client requires connection to the repository for almost all
operations. This means that some operations are impossible when the
repository is unreachable over the network, or when the network
connection is slow compared to the size of the project.
In fact, CVS keeps some data in the working directory that allows for
some disconnected operations. In particular, no connection to the
repository is required to identify locally modified files. But the CVS
client cannot do it. This is the gap CVS Utilities aim to close.
Admittedly, the insistence of the CVS client on repository connection
can be justified in most cases. That's why CVS Utilities are not aiming
to be a "better client". It's an extension to CVS client with limited
capabilities but higher speed. (If someone was to write a better CVS
client, it would probably keep base versions or their checksums
somewhere, like Subversion does, but CVS Utilities use the same format
of the working directory as the standard CVS client.)
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