let me first point out two of the weak points of the book, and then tell you how great this book is.

The first weak point is the absence of installation instructions. The book tells you need subversion, but it does not say anything on what packages you need, what it depends on, or if you have to configure anything after you get the package. Who would have thunk that the subversion client package also installs everything you need to setup a server. There is no configure, or at least I did not think it was explained clearly that there is no such thing as configuring and installing for subversion (which would justify the absence from the book). For any person who installed a service, let it be Apache or an FTP server, you would know that you had to install the software and then configure some file in /etc. This is not how subversion works, and the book fails to mention that.

The second thing wrong with the book is its organization. I wanted to setup subversion, but that is in chapter 6, which of course assumes that you understood some of the concepts presented in chapters 2 and 3. Similarly, chapters 2 and 3 assume that you to have subversion installed (at least if you want to try out the commands yourself). There is however a couple of pages on how to get subversion set up in chapter 1, but without understanding chapters 2 and 3 it would be hopeless to try.

Besides those two points this book is a must for anyone wanting to install, administer, or learn subversion. The book is written well and the concepts are presented clearly.

If you're doing any concerted development you need version control. And you're using version control, subversion is an excellent way to go - head and shoulders above CVS. O'Reilly makes an excellent foray into this topic. It's not a perfect book, but does give excellent depth of coverage to the subject. As has been discussed, you can download the most recent revisions of the book online for free, which is great, but I personally like to have a book available as I find it easier to get to what I need.

The book is organized very well. It starts with an introduction to the software as well as the general concepts of version control. It moves onto a very useful - get started quick chapter that outlines the most common ways you'll use subversion in your everyday tasks. The downside to this is that, at this point you don't know how to set up a subversion repository in the first place, but it's a minor problem - and I think putting this stuff (checkin/checkout, import, commands to inspect the state of your files, the meat and potatoes of your svn usage) in a single chapter and tieing it together in a sample workflow really helps you understand the commands.

It then moves onto more advanced topics, like branching/merging, subversion administration and configuration, etc.. It also includes a very handy subversion reference which contains information on every command you can issue. It even contains a migration chapter for CVS users (and boy CVS users *need* to migrate!).

In all this is an excellent book, if you're like me and want to have a physical book, I definitely recommend getting it. Otherwise, it's at least worth your time to download the online version and check it out.

Subversion really improves on CVS for version control. This book does a good job of telling you how to use Subversion whether you've had experience with CVS or not. Keep in mind you could get this book for free online! It's free!

The writing in this book is refreshingly clear. In particular, I'm impressed with how the early sections seem to have been molded by answering the question, "What will a new user want to do?" For example, the text immediately shows you how to create a repository and then demonstrates the commands to begin adding and committing files.

If you develop software of any type you quickly learn the importance of a good revision control system. Sometimes a minor change that fixes a bug at one point causes other portions of the program to have problems. Revision control systems allow you keep various versions of your program and go back to a prior version easily. If there are multiple people working on the project then the ability to commit changes and see what happens but easily get back to where you were becomes even more important. If you are writing a modular program then as each person or group changes their module you may need to get a current version of the project with a prior version of a module. A revision control system handles all these problems easily. Subversion is an open source version control system that can be used on any operating system that supports the Apache httpd server including Windows, Linux, and NetWare.

Version Control with Subversion is a highly useful book written with a slant toward the Linux OS. It is easy to read and understand if you are at least familiar with version control software at a theoretical level and is highly recommended. One really nice feature is an appendix covering the differences between Subversion and the popular CVS software. If you are used to CVS then this appendix makes the switch to Subversion much easier.

If you're still using CVS, you should be switching to Subversion. Really. If you haven't yet switched because you're not sure of Subversion's capabilities or need some guidance, then this is the book for you.

The authors have put together an excellent overview of Subversion in concise detail. Including everything from setup to day-to-day use, this book outlines what you need to not only get your project up and running using Subversion, but also the best practices wisdom gleaned from the project developers' own experience with the system. For this last part alone, the book is worth the money.

The book is excellent documentation; well-written and to the point. It's everything you need to effectively use Subversion on a day-to-day basis.

My bookshelves used to bend, groaning
with the weight of computer manuals and
books, collected over the years. In a
cathartic fit, I recently cleaned up
this surplus, winnowing away to just the
few books I consider invaluable, or such
nostalgic classics that I cannot part
with them. And I swore an oath never to
collect books that didn't fit these
criteria.

Having read Version Control with
Subversion, I'm happy to report that
this hallowed shelf will be getting a
new addition. I found this book
thorough, clear, concise, thoughtful,
and above all, useful. If you plan on
using Subversion, get this book. Soon.

If you know a bit about how this book
was written, the quality of this book
might come as no surprise. The book's
content comes from the same source and
process as the software it documents: an
open encounter between the authors and
the users of Subversion. From the
Preface: "...the book was written in the
public eye, as a part of Subversion."
Ben Collins-Sussman, one of the authors
of Subversion, responded to repeatedly
fielding the same questions from
Subversion users by drafting "The
Subversion Handbook." This "FAQ" was
then used as the basis of the book, and
the results speak for themselves.

I found the book extremely pragmatic,
but more than merely a pedantic
tutorial. It transcends the "How To"
genre by providing not only concrete
tools and examples, but also through
examining the critical question of
"Why?". This sensitivity sets it apart
and makes it a invaluable aid, by
exposing the philosophical rationales of
the authors. It has helped me to
understand not only how to use the
software well, but to understand the
software itself.

I have been using source control since
the very first days of my professional
involvement in IT. It has saved my
bacon on occasions too many to count
(without embarrassment). I have
staunchly advocated CVS, which has been
the stalwart source code control tool in
the UNIX world for years. However, as
most any user of CVS will attest, the
old girl has a few warts, and has begun
to show her age. The authors of
Subversion aimed to create a successor
to CVS, "by creating an open-source
system with a design (and look and feel)
similar to CVS, and by attempting to fix
most of CVS's noticeable flaws." I
think Subversion succeeds in this
regard, and I have found this book an
excellent guide to making the transition
from CVS to Subversion.

The book addresses the full gamut of
topics I had interest in, and quite a
few that I suspect I'll never have need
of. Covered topics include the history
of Subversion, its features, and
installation methods. For those new to
tools like CVS and Subversion, there is
a clear, thoughtful and useful guide to
basic concepts of version control.
Those more familiar with version control
will find quick gratification in
detailed coverage of a typical daily
work cycle. The more advanced topics of
branching, merging and tagging are given
relentless and cogent treatment.

Typical of the book's thoughtful and
deep exposition, the chapter on
branching includes a section entitled
"Best Practices for Merging". This
consistent beyond-the-how-to treatment
moves the book from the "read it, learn
it, give the book to someone else"
category into a reference that I know I
will return to often.

The structure, features and
administration of a Subversion
repository are covered in a chapter of
their own. The topic of running a
Subversion server is examined in similar
fashion, including a clear exploration
of the trade-offs between running a
standalone Subversion server, or running
it under Apache. The book includes
detailed documentation of the Subversion
internals, for those wishing to use
Subversion as part of a tool they
develop. A complete command reference
rounds out the main section of the book,
and is followed by several appendices.
Of these, I found Appendix A,
"Subversion for CVS Users", especially
useful.

Finally, I think the hallmark of any
truly excellent technical documentation
is a deep, detailed index. Version
Control with Subversion doesn't
disappoint on this score.

I just wish all computer books were this
good.

Version Control with Subversion is THE BEST technical manual I have ever read. I'm relatively green in the world of revision control, but this book elegantly combines the technical with the practical with the theoretical. The style is very easy to digest, presenting some complex revision control concepts in concise, understandable terms. This is NOT just a "skim the surface" white paper - it is a COMPLETE guide to Subversion. (It is also a good introduction to revision control practices in general.)

Buy this book to learn Subversion and support the authors. (No, I am not affiliated with them in any way.)

This first edition has numerous code errors in examples, and basic command listings. It is a total waste of time and money trudging through misprints. This book is 1month old and is already useless. For example if you followed the instructions in Chapter 2 as to how to create a repository, then followed the instructions on how to checkout you would Fail right away because the example command is missing a "/".... Small but high impact misprint!

If you're serious about stepping up to subversion, this book is licensed under GPL and as such can be downloaded for free from svnbook.red-bean.com.

My only regret with subversion so far is spending $25 to find out I could have gotten a much more error free version for nothing!

Before Subversion appeared on the scene, software developers had two equally evil choices for Version Control. CVS which is open source, but rather limited and broken; or commercial systems which are generally closed, use propriety storage formats, and notoriously hard to migrate away from.

'Version Control with Subversion' is highly recommended for the following folks:

1. Anyone interested in how version control works
2. People new to version control or Subversion
3. Experienced Subversion users / software developers

The book is extremely well written and organized. The authors are knowledgable (they wrote Subversion itself), and unlike many other technical authors, are able to clearly and concisely (and humorously!) explain the subject matter.

The book begins with an introduction to the ideas behind Version Control. From there, subsequent chapters begin explaining how to use Subversion with 'real world' examples. Later chapters cover repository setup, administration, and customization. The excellent reference materials in the Appendices will keep this book close at hand.

I highly encourage anyone involved in software development to check out Subversion and read this book.

So what is wrong with CVS? It is the most common open source version control package. Very stable and mature. But, as the authors of this book point out, heavy users soon run into its limitations. Most notably, CVS has no concept of directory versioning. This means that copying and renaming files isn't handled at all, let alone these operations on directories. Plus, if you want to commit a set of files in CVS, some might fail and others might succeed. Not atomic. Undesirable.

So the authors (and other developers) put together a proposed open source successor, Subversion. (Cool name!) It fixes the above deficiencies, and others. One nice extra feature is that the actual data access is abstracted in such a way that an Apache web server can also serve the Subversion data. Clever way to key off the power and stability of Apache.

You may find it worthwhile to check it out.

This book is an excellent resource for novice and experienced Subversion users alike. The first two chapters provide background on why subversion came into existence and general version control concepts. Anybody new to Subversion should carefully read chapter 3. The 'Basic Work Cycle' section explains the day-to-day use of Subversion well.

Chapters 5 and 6 have been invaluable in setting up our repositories. I particularly recommend people read the section on choosing a repository layout prior to setting up their repository. Setting up a Subversion repository to be served through Apache is more complicated than a local repository, but the 'httpd' section of chapter 6 clearly covers what to do. We now have a Subversion repository served through Apache that authenticates users with client-side certificates and encrypts communications over SSL.

Chapter 7 provided the information I needed to really get Subversion working exactly as I wanted it to. I have modified my config file to set what files Subversion should ignore and also what properties to set automatically. In addition, we have set up our projects so that they all have transparent access to the company's reusable code library using the svn:externals property (covered in the externals definitions section).

Appendix A is the place to start if you are an experienced CVS user making the transition to Subversion. There are a few significant changes that you need to be aware of.

The examples in the book use the command-line client, but Appendix D (Third Party Tools) provides URLs for the many GUI clients available, if that's your preference.

A good source control system is one of the most important tools for
collaborative software development. Oddly the best-of-breed open
source solution to for years has been CVS, which best described as
merely "almost adequate." Subversion, in it's first release,
addresses most of the shortcomings of CVS as well as a significantly
stronger foundation on which to build an even better solution going
forward.

Version Control with Subversion is the perfect resource for

migrating your source repository and, more importantly, your
developers from CVS to Subversion. Those familiar with CVS will find
this book to be a quick and easy read as it translates CVS's usage
patterns into Subversion's.

Developers new to source control will also find this book valuable
for its simple descriptions of basic concepts and gradual introduction
to more advanced topics.

If you are a CVS user, you need to immediately move to Subversion. CVS is damaged goods (no atomic commits, broken tags/branches, broken client/server, etc..). Subversion fixes all of this and takes it a generation further (WebDAV access, sensible branching, excellent diff'ing, etc).

This book does an excellent job of teaching the reader exactly how to effectively use Subversion. Whether new to revision control, coming from CVS or from some other RC system, the Subversion Book provides a very clear and often humorous guide to effectively deploying, administrating and using Subversion.

An excellent book.