Re: [Gnu-arch-users] is there demand for itla?

[Clark McGrew]

On Wed, 2003-11-19 at 16:51, address@hidden wrote:
> On Wed, Nov 19, 2003 at 04:25:45PM -0500, Clark McGrew wrote:
> > On Tue, 2003-11-18 at 04:57, Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
> > > >>>>> "Tom" == Tom Lord <address@hidden> writes:
> > > 
> > >     Tom> The question I'm stuck on is how much "demand" there is for
> > >     Tom> itla.
> > > 
> > > So I don't see a naive TTY interface as
> > > a big area for new demand.[1]
> > 
> > It depends on what you mean by a big area of new demand.  TLA is a
> > powerful tool that the exemplary users on this list seem to be quite
> > happy with.  But, for naive users the CVS interface is much cleaner.  My
> > assertion is that if TLA (ITLA) can "become as easy as" CVS, there is a
> > huge pool of potential users waiting to dump CVS.  My (abysmal)
> > marketing sense says that ITLA should initially be targeted toward those
> > users.

> That is not what I understood from Tom. itla will allow a workflow to be
> implemented.  How hard it is to 'get into' that workflow is entirely up
> to the implementer of the optional policies that the tool will allow.

I just wanted to point out that the "itla get-project-description"
feature suggested in one of the previous messages is a really nifty idea
to distribute policies.  If itla is distributed with a set of examples,
one might be "just-like-cvs.scm" with a README for project managers on
how to install it and make simple modifications.  

Now for a flight of fancy...

In case it's not obvious.  I'm not advocating for a particular
interface, but that with a simplistic interface and a little bit of PR,
TLA could achieve world domination.  More complex and useful interfaces
can come later.

Here's a fanciful vision of the future. 

1) CVSCS stabilizes and becomes a general purpose CVS repository
converter. 
2) TLA hits version 1.2
3) ITLA gets included in the distribution with a "just-like-cvs.scm"
that really lowers the learning curve for CVS users.  It's almost good
enough that users can make CVS an alias for ITLA, and hints at the
underlying power so managers immediately see TLA is better.
4) A PR announcement gets picked up by all the major media outlets
announcing "the best version control system ever".
5) New users stampede to become the first on the block to use the "right
tool".

This is completely whimsical, but I hope you get the drift.  CVS has
become a dominant revision control system, but many people recognize
it's failings.  TLA is exceptionally well designed, fixes those failings
and arguably well positioned to supplant CVS.  

Best Regards,
Clark
-- 
Clark McGrew                    Univ. at Stony Brook, Physics and Astronomy
<address@hidden>        631-632-8299