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SourceGear Announces Vault 2.0

• By Mike Gunderloy
• October 30, 2003

SourceGear Vault (www.sourcegear.com/vault/index.asp) is a source code control system built on the Microsoft .NET Framework, using SQL Server 2000 as its repository. It supports command-line and GUI clients, and also integrates with Visual Studio .NET. Using a Web services approach for client to server communications, Vault provides impressive speed, even over relatively slow Internet connections. This week the company is demonstrating their version 2.0 at the Microsoft Professional Developers' Conference, and they've announced details in a posting to their support newsgroup.

2.0 will sport an enhanced diff and merge tool with many changes since the first version. This includes two- and three-way file diffs with automatic merge and conflict detection, an improved graphical display, unlimited undo and redo, and folder diff with the ability to filter out unwanted files. If you prefer, you can also plug in an external merge application.

Several changes in client support indicate the the company's Web services-based API is paying off for them. Version 2.0 will include a Web client that allows you to browse the contents and history of a repository. It will also include a version of the command-line client (written in C#) that runs on Linux, Solaris, and Mac OS X. This cross-platform client is the result of a successful partnership with the Ximian Mono project, and may be the first commercial proof of the viability of Mono's porting of the .NET Framework to non-Microsoft platforms.

There are also a bunch of miscellaneous new features, including:

• Security and performance improvements
• VSS-style shadow folders
• Lightweight VSS-style labels, as well as continuing support for the existing Vault labels (now called snapshots)
• Support for proxy server authentication
• Merging from branch to trunk, trunk to brance, or any branch to any other branch

Vault includes 12 months of free upgrades with every purchase; since the first version has been out for less than a year, that means all existing 1.0 customers will qualify for the 2.0 upgrade, or you can buy 1.0 right now in the expectation of upgrading to 2.0 (the planned release date is in January). Vault pricing starts at $599 for the server and five client licenses.

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