Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I think it's time to set the record straight on Visual SourceSafe. This is a product badly in need of updating, but it doesn't seem to have any direct competitors (nobody wants to be Borlanded or Netscaped), so it probably won't happen any time soon.
If you're creating non-web applications with a programming tool that supports SourceSafe integration, then you probably won't mind SourceSafe. You will have to work around a few frustrations: the lack of drag-and-drop, the amazingly dated look to the client app, and the fact that a lot of discipline is required to use it properly and safely. If you don't train a developer new to SourceSafe, you can count somebody writing code referencing a wrong relative path, and having to merge lots of changes people made because they didn't check files out properly.
However, if you're trying to develop a web application with others in an integrated programming tool, then there will be times you want to tear your hair out until you sit down and really learn how the thing works (without any aid from the skimpy online help), because the interaction between the web files, the local files (if an ASP app), and the SourceSafe files is poorly documented and very finicky. Hint: whatever you do, don't remove the SourceSafe binding inside Visual Studio .NET and attempt to put it back again later -- instead delete all the local files and do "Open from Source Control" inside Visual Studio.
I should also mention that it networks very poorly. This is because there is no server component; clients just grab files via ordinary network shares. If you are trying to use SourceSafe from a remote site, then you will need patience, because doing a large operation such as a recursive "get latest" takes a long time even if you are telecommuting from the same city over a high-speed internet connection. Please note though that another company makes an inexpensive product called SourceOffSite that works with SourceSafe to overcome the networking deficiencies.
In general, SourceSafe is a whole lot better than collaborating without help, and it is priced relatively reasonably, which is why it's still around. It's just long in the tooth, and is missing obvious features such as viewing all the check-in comments for a file at the same time. It really should come with printed manuals for end users detailing best practices to use and pitfalls to avoid. Instead, the online help makes it seem as if a child could use the product and everything is always sunny when using it. I know there are competing products, but I've never had the opportunity to try them, because for better or worse the market has chosen Visual SourceSafe as the standard.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Microsoft Visual Sourcesafe 6.0 CD
Visual SourceSafe 6.0 is the latest edition of Microsoft's award-winning version-control system for managing software and Web-site development. Fully integrated with the Visual Basic, Visual C++, Visual J++, Visual InterDev, and Visual FoxPro development environments, as well as with Microsoft Office applications, it provides easy-to-use, project-oriented version control. Visual SourceSafe works with any file produced by any development language, authoring tool, or application. Users can work at both the file and project level while promoting file reuse. The project-oriented features of Visual SourceSafe make managing the day-to-day tasks associated with team-based application and Web site development more efficient.
Click here for more information about Microsoft Visual Sourcesafe 6.0 CD
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