Objectives

After completing this tutorial, you will be able to:
  1. Understand the purpose of a version control software
  2. Know a little about the history of version control tools
  3. Understand the workings of RCS
  4. Be able to use RCS in a project framework

Before starting this tutorial, you should:

  1. Have access to a machine where you can read this tutorial in Netscape in one window while working with the hands-on demonstrations in another window. (For example, you could use the Macintosh computers in the CSE Computer Lab NC2608 with Netscape and Telnet running simultaneously.)
  2. Read the Conceptual Overview frame of this tutorial.
  3. Generally know your way around the basics of the UNIX shell environment and be able to use the RCS tools under a UNIX shell. The examples in this tutorial were developed using tcsh under HP-UX on the HP715 Cobra cluster in the Cal Poly SLO Computer Systems Lab, but any machine supporting the basic RCS tools should work fine.
  4. Be able to use a text editor to create simple files on whatever system you use this tutorial on. Any editor is fine, such as emacs, vi, pico, ed, etc.