bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS backend

[Richard Stanton]

> From: Eli Zaretskii [mailto:eliz@gnu.org]
> Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 2:15 AM
> To: Richard Stanton
> Cc: 8924@debbugs.gnu.org
> Subject: Re: bug#8924: 23.3; Editing is rather difficult using vc with RCS
> backend
> 
> > From: Richard Stanton <stanton@haas.berkeley.edu>
> > Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:20:43 -0700
> >
> > I regularly use vc to keep track of versions of my edited files,
> > primarily using CVS, but less often using RCS, mainly where there's
> > just a single file I want to track edits to, and it's more convenient
> > to keep the repository with the file.
> >
> > This all used to work fine (though I can't exactly recall what version
> > of EMACS was the last under which all worked fine). However, while
> > vc+CVS still works fine, vc+RCS acts in some rather strange ways that
> > make using it inconvenient or even risky.
> 
> Did you also change the RCS port you are using, since the last time this
> worked for you?  If so, where did you get your port of RCS?  Was that last
> time also on Windows Vista, or on some other OS?

Sensible question  - I use the Cygwin port. I just tried downgrading from 
1.57-11 to 1.57-4 (the only older version I could find listed in the current 
Cygwin setup list), but this didn't change anything. What version of RCS are 
you using?

I do run Emacs on a Mac as well, so I'll see how this behaves next time I'm 
using that machine.

> > b. Now edit the file by adding a comment somewhere, say, after line 1,
> 
> Wait a moment: isn't the buffer read-only after the initial registration and
> check-in?  It should be; it is for me (using RCS with Emacs 23.3 on Windows
> XP).  If so, you cannot just add a comment; you need to check-out the file
> first, by typing "C-x v v" again.  This checks out the file making it 
> writable, and
> then I can edit it.

The buffer itself is not read-only, but the file seems to be. I can type 
whatever I want in the buffer, and only realize this when I next try to save 
the file, but by then it's a bit late to be finding this out...

> > % Here's a comment
> >
> > Save the file and then type C-x v v. This time, I get an error buffer
> > telling me
> >
> > RCS/test.tex,v  -->  test.tex
> > revision 1.1 (locked)
> > co: writable test.tex exists; checkout aborted
> >
> > and again cannot check in the new file.
> 
> It works for me: I get a buffer where I need to type a checkin comment, and
> when I type C-c, RCS checks the file in for me, and I see "RCS-1.2" in the
> mode line.  As I'd expect.
> 
> > 2) The initial $Id$ line seems important here. If I do the same thing
> > again, but do *not* include the initial % $Id$ line in the file,
> > different things happen.
> 
> It's possible that the problem is with your username as RCS and Emacs
> perceive it.  Do you have USER or LOGNAME variables set in your
> environment?  If not, does it help to set one of them with the value returned
> by `user-login-name' function inside Emacs?

Doesn't seem to change anything.

Thanks for your suggestions.