From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG  Sat Oct  1 20:34:34 2005
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>
X-Original-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0B8E916A41F
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Sat,  1 Oct 2005 20:34:34 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from bakul@bitblocks.com)
Received: from gate.bitblocks.com (bitblocks.com [209.204.185.216])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 966AF43D49
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Sat,  1 Oct 2005 20:34:33 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from bakul@bitblocks.com)
Received: from bitblocks.com (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by gate.bitblocks.com (8.13.4/8.13.1) with ESMTP id j91KYWPQ064132
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Sat, 1 Oct 2005 13:34:33 -0700 (PDT)
	(envelope-from bakul@bitblocks.com)
Message-Id: <200510012034.j91KYWPQ064132@gate.bitblocks.com>
To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
In-reply-to: Your message of "Fri, 30 Sep 2005 19:01:05 +0400."
	<20050930150105.GA55158@comp.chem.msu.su> 
Date: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 13:34:32 -0700
From: Bakul Shah <bakul@BitBlocks.com>
Subject: Re: A smarter mergemaster 
X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD
	<freebsd-hackers.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-hackers>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>,
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 01 Oct 2005 20:34:34 -0000

Here is an idea for the mergemaster hackers' consideration!

By keeping /etc files in a source repository one can archive
and document all local changes.  This is useful for some of
the same reasons for which we keep sources in a repo:
recovery from mistakes, reuse of old code, checking who did
what, more than one person can make changes, tracking
history, debugging etc.

If mergemaster handled or worked with a local cvs /etc repo
that'd be very nice!  The idea is to make changes and test
them in a temp workspace and commit them *only if they do the
right thing*!  I envision a workflow something like this
(using make for illustration purposes):

cd <etc workspace>
make etc-diff	# ensure your workspace reflects what is in /etc
<if resync is needed, commit them to local repo>

make import	# import the latest /usr/src/etc into etc workspace
make diff	# look over the changes
<make any local repairs>
make install	# install to /etc; do mkdb etc.
<check out your changes>

Finally:
make commit	# commit changes to local repo
OR
make undo	# if things didn't quite work, restore /etc to old state.

Roughly, the current mergemaster does the work of make
import, make diff, repairs and install.

Comments?

-- bakul