Re: Separate Compilation in Programming Languages

[Dirk Heinrichs <dirk.heinrichs@online.de>]

Niklas Holsti wrote:

> Separate version tracking per subprogram (as mentioned by Dirk
> Heinrichs) could be an advantage, but I would prefer to get this
> from a subprogram-aware version control system, without the
> proliferation of source files that "separate" causes.

The only problem is that there is no subprogram-aware version control system
today. (My main job is doing SCM, btw., so I know what I'm talking about.)
And IMHO there doesn't need to be one. It would have to know the syntax of
the program's language(s) to find out when particular subprograms change so
that it can raise their versions. That's next to impossible because people
always want to put something under version control which is written exactly
in the single one language the system isn't aware of.

So the solution is to keep putting just files under version control, and if
each of those files represent exactly one subprogram, your version control
_is_ (sort of) subprogram-aware, but still language independant.

Bye...

        Dirk