VSS and other version control/checkout systems

["Scudder, Beth" <beth -dot- scudder -at- retek -dot- com>]

Hi all,

I was asked to evaluate Microsoft's Visual Source Safe as something for our
documentation group to use. We need something - we're about fifteen people
now and there have been issues that would have been avoided with the use of
a checkin/checkout system like VSS. 

If it matters, we produce files in HTML, Word, and RoboHelp. We've tried
PVCS Version Manager, which we have for the software developers, but had
problems with it and have even found that it sometimes changes file
extensions, so we're not wild about it for anything other than code.

I have two questions for you:

1. I've generally only heard good things about VSS. Are there any skeletons
in its closet I should know about? Little bugs or glitches that Microsoft
isn't going to mention?

2. I like to know what my options are. Does VSS have any viable competition
for this function? Does a cheaper, better (or slower, worse) alternative
exist?

I'd really appreciate your feedback on this subject. Let me know if I need
to provide more information in order to get more meaningful information.

TIA,

Beth Scudder
Technical Editor/Writer
Retek Inc.


Quis editoriet ipsos editores?