Bky is a distributed Version Control System/Source Code Management software with a minimalistic design.
If you're looking for a no-frills, minimalist Version Control System/Source Code Management tool, Bky might be worth checking out. Bky stands out from other tools of its kind as it uses rsync in the backend to store revisions as complete trees. This clever technique optimizes the size of stored data by using hard links to unchanged files.
One of the significant advantages of Bky is that it's a distributed system. Unlike CVS or Subversion, developers using Bky can communicate via patches, and the repository is not stored in a central server. Instead, it is a subdirectory inside your working directory, which enables communication without requiring constant access to a central repository. Other distributed systems like Arch, Darcs, or Linus Torvalds' git also share this trait.
Another feature that stands out is cheap branching. With Bky, all you have to do is copy your tree to another directory, and you've started a new branch. Old history can be easily pruned, and legacy revisions can be deleted or moved to another place with your usual filesystem tools.
Safety is a priority for Bky, ensuring that any given revision under the repository is a directory with all your files that can be used, copied, or stored as-is. As every revision is stored as plain files, you can delete, modify, or update commit messages without interfering with the rest of the repository.
Bky's simplicity continues with its no-special-commands approach. You just create a file in your working directory, and it will automatically be version-controlled. Uninteresting files like object files, libraries, or other generated files are ignored automatically, and there is support for .cvsignore files.
Bky is a shell script, making small dependencies a clear advantage. To run Bky, you only need rsync, diff, and the usual Unix basic tools, along with a filesystem that supports hard and symbolic links. That's it. It's just a version control system.
The latest release of Bky includes better symlink management and won't copy unwanted files when pushing or popping. Overall, for those looking for a lightweight, no-nonsense Version Control System, Bky might be the tool for you.
One of the significant advantages of Bky is that it's a distributed system. Unlike CVS or Subversion, developers using Bky can communicate via patches, and the repository is not stored in a central server. Instead, it is a subdirectory inside your working directory, which enables communication without requiring constant access to a central repository. Other distributed systems like Arch, Darcs, or Linus Torvalds' git also share this trait.
Another feature that stands out is cheap branching. With Bky, all you have to do is copy your tree to another directory, and you've started a new branch. Old history can be easily pruned, and legacy revisions can be deleted or moved to another place with your usual filesystem tools.
Safety is a priority for Bky, ensuring that any given revision under the repository is a directory with all your files that can be used, copied, or stored as-is. As every revision is stored as plain files, you can delete, modify, or update commit messages without interfering with the rest of the repository.
Bky's simplicity continues with its no-special-commands approach. You just create a file in your working directory, and it will automatically be version-controlled. Uninteresting files like object files, libraries, or other generated files are ignored automatically, and there is support for .cvsignore files.
Bky is a shell script, making small dependencies a clear advantage. To run Bky, you only need rsync, diff, and the usual Unix basic tools, along with a filesystem that supports hard and symbolic links. That's it. It's just a version control system.
The latest release of Bky includes better symlink management and won't copy unwanted files when pushing or popping. Overall, for those looking for a lightweight, no-nonsense Version Control System, Bky might be the tool for you.
What's New
Version 1.1.1: N/A