Re: Visual SourceSafe for Documentation Source Control

Subject: Re: Visual SourceSafe for Documentation Source Control
From: marijane -at- computer -dot- org
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2005 09:29:38 -0700 (PDT)


On Mon, 24 Oct 2005, Katherine Turner wrote:


I have recently started working for a small financial software company who
are storing their source code in Visual SourceSafe.

The documentation, mostly .DOC, is being stored on the network in multiple
locations with multiple versions. I have suggested that a source control
program is used. I now need to go back to the company with some proposals.

The company are reluctant to spend very much money on buying new source
control software specifically for documentation.

In the past, I have used Perforce for both source code and documentation. I
found it was a very powerful piece of software and extremely useful for
branching, diffing and version control.

I was wondering if others have:

1) used Visual SourceSafe for storing documentation.

Yes, but not in a Tech Writing context. I interned on a team at Microsoft that used VSS to store all their specifications and test planning documentation. This was some time ago, in 1998.


Have you used a separate program for comparing text and binary files such as Servant Salamander or ExamDiff Pro?

No.


2) used a separate source control program for documentation and a separate
one for source control

Yes. The aforementioned team at MS kept their source code in an older system called SLM that was in wide use at MS in the mid to late 90s. SLM may be the worst source control system I have ever had the misfortune to use.


3) recommendations

I would expect VSS to be sufficient for your needs, though, since you have experience with Perforce, you may not like it as much. Have you had a chance to try VSS out yet?

If you are attached to using Perforce, you might ask around the development team to see how people feel about VSS, and whether anyone is itching to change. If you can't make a case to your employer to buy a separate system for documentation, maybe you can make a case for the company to move to a new system for everything, if employees see a need for it.



Marijane


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References:
Visual SourceSafe for Documentation Source Control: From: Katherine Turner

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