[Python-Dev] CVS locks on SF

[Tim Peters]

[MAL]
> I'm getting loads of lock messages during CVS checkins recently.
> Is this due to overload ? (I wonder why anoncvs access causes
> locking at all -- there is no write access so why should there
> be file locking ?):

IIRC, CVS maintains the illusion of being a multi-user system by using
per-*directory* locks.  That means it gives you the warm fuzzy feeling that
you're being protected against (e.g.) getting an inconsistent snapshot while
someone else is committing, but in fact you're not protected at all
(inter-directory).  It locks per-directory to ensure the integrity of its
own data files, but users are subject to the luck of the draw.

Note that Perl is maintained under (the commercial, alas) Perforce, which is
one of the few SCMs to take multi-developer multi-directory issues
seriously.

So the good news is that when you see a CVS lock gripe, that means CVS is
protecting itself from corruption.  The bad news is that if we used a system
that protected *us* against inconsistencies too, we'd probably see lock
gripes even more often.