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Using GNU RCS

An unofficial reference guide. Submit your tips and tricks.

The Revision Control System (RCS) is a software configuration management (SCM) tool. RCS is a package consisting of multiple programs providing a file-based version control system, capable of storing the modification history of files. Features include support for multiple-user development, embedded keyword string substitution, and a version selection system.

Web Documents

Getting Started

What's the Status of RCS? - Is it being developed, should I use it?
How to Learn RCS - Strategies (how and where) for learning RCS.
Introductory Tutorial to RCS - A quick jaunt through the basic commands.

Help

RCS Frequently Asked Questions - Most asked questions by users.
Getting Help with GNU RCS - Finding user support for RCS, and tips on how to better communicate your problem.

Tips

Using RCS When Editing Web Pages - Tricks to using RCS with your web related files.
Using RCS in GNU Emacs - How to leverage RCS while you're editing with Emacs.

Curiosities

Finding RCS Repositories - Information about RCS repositories, where to find some examples or perhaps create one from an existing ubiquitous CVS repository.

Books

Brian O'Donavan's Handbook on RCS - Download the entire 108 page book.

Manuals and other Articles

RCS—A System for Version Control - By Walter Tichy. Originally published in 1985.
A Free Manual for GNU RCS - By Aaron Hawley (not yet finished). Released as free documentation.
Using RCS - By Peter Ware (circa 1987).
Using RCS Mode in GNU Emacs.
RCS Mini HowTo - By Robert Kiesling (1997).

Links

Official RCS Home Page - Located at Purdue University.
GNU's RCS Homepage - Updated in February of 2003 thanks to Aaron Hawley (me).
Free Software Directory: RCS - Entry in the FSF/UNESCO free software directory.
RCS Tutorial by David L Spencer - Well known web tutorial.
Newsgroup archives for comp.software.config-mgmt - The versioning system newsgroup.
RCSI - A separate free software tool which displays the RCS status of files in the current directory.
The Joys of RCS (with vc.el) - Essay by Joseph Brenner on leveraging RCS by letting the Emacs editor do the work.
Version Control Keeps Developers Organized - Article by Allison M. Fagan on the importance of having used version control in everyday work in software development. [ Intranet Journal ]
Wikipedia: Revision Control System - Information on RCS with references to other Version Control principles.
Emacs Wiki: Revision Control System - Information on RCS relevant to Emacs users.

Site maintained by Aaron Hawley

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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Text being "A free book about free software", and Back-Cover Texts being "You have freedom to copy and modify this book".