WinCVS - Getting Started

WinCVS is a "fat client" that can be used to connect to the CVS server when you are working behind a firewall using a socks proxy. Here's how...

• Install WinCvs from http://www.wincvs.org/
• Install SocksCap32 from http://www.socks.nec.com/reference/sockscap.html
• Configure it for your local socks proxy
• Add WinCvs to SocksCap using New button
• Run WinCvs from SocksCap
• Under Admin->Preferences
  • Set Authentication to "passwd file on the cvs server"
  • Set CVSROOT to: :pserver:anonymous@cvs.TWiki.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/twiki
• Login via Admin->Login
• Set a local working directory
• Run Admin->Command Line
• Type "cvs checkout twiki"

...and Bob's your uncle.

See also CVSCommandQuickRef, CvsReadme

-- SteveRoe - 16 Aug 2001

Interesting stuff - CVS is famously hard to use, so a GUI such as WinCVS is definitely worth using. It's worth noting that WinCVS only needs to use SOCKS if you are behind a firewall that requires this.

-- RichardDonkin - 23 Aug 2001

Also see http://www.tortoisecvs.org/ which is even easier to use for the neophyte.

-- MattWilkie - 13 Nov 2002

After I have successfully introduced TWiki in a small IT-Company, Now they get introduced to CVS. The question was: WinCVS or TortoiseCVS.

They go for both. TortoiseCVS is the primary frontend as a Windows explorer plugin, living in the context menu. If the user wants to have a graphical view or scripts running on top of cvs, she/he can use WinCVS.

-- MartinRaabe - 13 Nov 2002

I'd like to try CVS access as well, but am having trouble accessing http://www.wincvs.org for some reason. I installed TortoiseCVS instead. Does somebody know how to configure TortoiseCVS so that it cross firewalls? Thanks!

• I use http://cvsgrab.sourceforge.net/ to get around our firewall. It uses the website viewcvs.cgi, so it's slow, but it works enough for what I need. -- MattWilkie - 28 Oct 2003

-- ClausBrod - 07 Mar 2003

There is also a brother of WinCVS:

• LinCVS

It is available for Linux AND Windows as well.

-- MartinRaabe - 08 Mar 2003