Re: Configuration Management for Ada on Unix

[John & Susan Edge & Farrina Wilson <sledge@cia.com.au>]

PCMS does the job, no arguement about that. But what job and at what cost 
(including the learning curve)?

The crowd I work with are adapting a large Ada command and control system 
and are using at least three different configuration management systems 
that I know of (as a mere developer), maybe more!

It is horses for courses. Different strengths are appropriate to 
different levels of the project. 
- At the individual developer level, version control is SCCS on a day to 
day basis with lots of good tool support, easy to use for small amounts 
of code.
- Integration and build uses PCMS for many variants of many libraries of 
multiple packages only after individual development and formal reviews 
are completed. Not so easy to use, but not everybody needs to know how to 
provide CM for millions of lines of Ada.
- A non-software specific system at company level that provides CM for 
releases to customers of deliverable hardware, software, documentation, 
everything. This one requires a full time department to control.

The important thing is that this approach works well and definately 
focuses attention on defining procedures to get from one system to the 
next. Yes, there is a common understanding of what 'baseline' means.

The fact that it works, and is cost effective, doesn't mean that I don't 
miss the Ada CM of Rational APEX from my old job. You always remember 
your first love.