As we move from isolated projects to a single unified body of code, more powerful revision control strategies become necessary. To this end, CVS (concurrent versions system) is currently being integrated into the environment as a replacement for the simpler RCS (revision control system). CVS is much more powerful than RCS, and is thereby much more complicated. A set of wrapper scripts for CVS has been developed which robustly provide the desired interface while abstracting the complexities of CVS.

For code development under a check-in/check-out paradigm, local builds are also necessary to allow the user to fully test a module before re-integration into the main environment. We have modified the standard makefile templates and the basic environment to facilitate such testing. While building local copies of software, local directories take precedence over the corresponding system files, allowing the user to edit multiple classes concurrently.

Between CVS and the new makefiles, we are completely changing our code development paradigm. This seminar will serve as a tutorial and question and answer session to expedite this shift.