Microsoft team foundation vs subversion

While the Source Control features of TFS are very good - it does much, much more stuff than version control SubVersion does not track merge history. That's a deal-killer in my mind for large projects. If you're used to that system then you will probably find it easier to use than TFS at first.

If you're used to something more like Vault or Perforce then the opposite is true. Tuesday, September 19, AM. I am trying to find out how to convince top level management to use Team Foundation Server. However, thanks anyway for all the feedback. Tuesday, September 19, PM. Anyway, good luck. All the best, Martin. Wednesday, September 20, PM. I should also mention that we have a great technical sales staff. Comparative analysis is their job, and they do it well way better than an engineer like me, no doubt.

Other topics in SVN vs. But you can use SVN with other tools - e. Edgewall Trac, CollabNet, etc. What if you have some Eclipse, Netbeans Java and some embedded Linux developers? Friday, January 19, AM. There is one company with an eclipse plugin. But the price for that is very high. Subclipse e. With SVN, Clearcase, I have the free choice of the server platform too. An easy to use, very flexible and open source!

Monday, January 29, PM. I dont like the codeplex site because you cannot see the progress in the project like in Edgewall Trac. And to compare codeplex with sourceforge is very nice : Sourceforge: Registered Projects: ,, Registered Users: 1,, I think codeplex is a small MS playground.

While TFS is feature full and is more than just version control, its version control is sloppy at best. That being said, if you want TFS in all its glory, are willing to work with its pain points, it is a great tool to setup automated builds, and releases. One of the best things about SVN is that every source code control system I know of can import from it, so choosing SVN us a very low risk option. Understand your requirements, and read the product manuals a bit — plenty of information available to determine suitability.

As well, there are some nice little plugins that make TFS a little more palatable for those of us who are used to, and generally prefer a SVN-type solution as well, and many of them have excellent support:. A Word to the wise, as mentioned above, TFS can be a pain to be installed, so caution should be exercised. I would only recommend TFS if you were using the version and using the Git based repository. In my experience SVN overall is far quicker and more painless. Your email address will not be published.

Compared to SVN it is, perhaps. The integration to reporting services and SharePoint is nice, but again, if you aren't using that, then it doesn't matter. What I'd say is to download the day trial of TFS and give it a go. Run a trial side-by-side. I think you'll be happy no matter which way you go. As Ubiguchi points out TFS is not a version control product. Buying TFS with the intention of only using it for Version Control would clearly be a waste of money.

TFS is an integrated suite of tools to automate all aspects of Application Lifecycle Management and pretty much geared to "The Enterprise". Also per Ben S's post - I don't understand your comment about locks. Locks aren't required in TFS at all. But through "normal" use of TFS a "check-out" prompts a user for the lock type - and the default should be "none".

A user CAN select a check-out or a check-in lock - but it is not required. If you don't want locks, don't use them. TFS does track which users have check-outs on the server for various both performance reasons make get-latest faster and project management I like to see what developers have files checked out and how long their check-outs are. One use case I know TFS is still pretty weak at is for users who are regularly "offline".

TFS is a "Server Product" that assumes the users are connected the majority of the time. The offline experience improved in the release it was dismal in but still has a long way to go. If you have developers who need or want to often be disconnected from the network for long periods of time - you are likely better off with SVN.

I good friend and colleague of mine uses it extensively and loves it. Also the comment about a lack of command line surprises me - the command line tools are extensive although many require a seperate download of TFS Power Tools. I suspect Ben's comments are based on an eval of the release which was clearly a "Microsoft V1.

The product is currently in 2. TFS is heinous. The main problem is TFS uses time stamps to record if you have the latest version, and stores these time stamps on the server. You can delete your local copy, get latest from TFS, and it will say all files are up to date. It's a silly system that gives you no guarantee that you have the correct version of files.

This results in numerous annoyances:. If you edit a file you will often find that it is locked to other developers. There are ways around it, but the system is so convoluted you will always run into the issue.

For instance, our developers found that they can get around all files being set to readonly in NTFS by checking out an entire solution, which sets an exclusive lock on all files. I did this a few times because subversion has the same syntax for checkout, which does not acquire a lock.

The subversion one click installer is roughly 30 MB and it will install the server for you in under a minute. TFS has many features, but its foundation is so shaky you will never use or care about them. TFS is expensive in terms of the license, and in the time developers will waste ranting on stackoverflow instead of writing code :P.

My recommendation, Team System isn't worth the money. I have used both and after using Team System, I tried to find a similar replacement. Basically what you are paying for is the integration and you could argue the customization support, but I have been able to create a Team System replacement with a little bit of time and integrating tools together.

I recently asked a question on what others have done to come up with a Team System alternative. I also list the development tools that I used to create the replacement.

Hopefully with this answer and the question that I asked, you can find what works for you. I am not a Team System hater, I just don't think it's worth the money. It is a very nice tool and if you don't mind paying the price for it, then by all means use it. It was the whole reason I created the replacement I came up with. I wanted the functionality Team System provided. Its much better now that collabnet has taken it over. If all you need is source control, TFS is overkill. We didn't have Active Directory or Exchange Server in our enterprise, so we ended up creating separate users on the TFS server so developers could use it.

We had the same sorts of problems with merging that Ben Schierman mentioned, along with other buggy behavior that pushed us toward Subversion.

If you want the additional issue tracking, work item, and project statistics capabilities that TFS provides, it may be worth your while to look at other alternatives. Products like JIRA from Atlassian Systems or Trac integrate well with Subversion and provide the sort of oversight a project or program manager might at a lower price. In an ideal environment, with Active Directory, Exchange Server or higher, and dedicated staff for the repository, TFS is more likely to be a good choice.

I have used both at work and at home. They are both very cool in their own right. The only time i would recommend using TFS though is if you will be using more of the features than just the source control. If all you need is source control you cant go wrong with SVN and this is why.

It lets you use windows authentication right through the UI. Tortoise Its tortoise, enough said. So you now get full integration for free. TFS isn't just about Source Control. If you use the whole package that TFS offers, bug tracking, builds, reports, etc then TFS is a pretty solid choice certainly better than Rational.

TFS also integrates well with Active Directory. I don't really like IDE integration. Merging seemed easier in TFS though. I'd say it really depends on your needs. TFS is very nice, I've used it extensively, but it's very much aimed at the enterprise level, if you don't need all of those features it might not be necessary. If you do need those features especially branching, scalability, work item tracking, etc. Keep in mind that TFS includes bug tracking, work item tracking and other features beyond source control.

If you have multiple branches or if you find yourself struggling against some lack of feature or other in Subversion then it might be a good idea to switch. But barring a good reason to switch you should probably avoid the cost and productivity hit of switching source control systems.

Having used both extensively, I think Wedge was on the money in noting "TFS includes bug tracking, work item tracking and other features beyond source control". If you want work-item and bug tracking alongside your source control then you either go for TFS or you go with SVN and some other, possibly free, tools such as bugzilla.

While TFS does integrate both source control and work-item tracking together I honestly think MS should have given it away free as an apology for abusing so many developers with VSS over the years. Bug Tracking, Task Tracking will all go in one place. And the reports generated for these items will help the stake holders keep informed of the project status.

The entire process has been a nightmare. The TFS Power Tools can scan your checkout and fix this problem but it is a pain to have to remember to use these tools.

Product Name. Beanstalk Alternatives 8. OpenKM Alternatives 7. Springloops Alternatives 7. Fossil Alternatives 6. RicohDocs Alternatives 6. Learn more about Team Foundation Server pricing. Team Foundation Server, currently known as Azure DevOps, is an end-to-end version control system that lets users share code, track work histories, and facilitate software shipping.

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