Offering help with repository conversion

[<es...@th...>]

I maintain a tool called reposurgeon that edits and convers
version-control repositories, and a front end for it called
cvs-fast-export that does what its name says.

Recently a gnuplot contributor attempting to set up a local git mirror of
the gnuplot repository for his own use approached me with a bug report
about cvs-fast-export which I was able to resolve. In the process I
ran a test conversion of the gnuplot history to git.

I am therefore in a position to state that converting your production
repository out of CVS into a modern distributed VCS would not be
very difficult. If I had an inside collaborator familiar with the
project history I think it would be about a week's work.  Most of that 
effort would be lifting CVS version references in comments into
a useful form.

I couldn't do it right now, as I'm presently engaged in converting the
(much larger and messier) Emacs repository.  But I could help this
happen in the relatively near-term future.  As a past (and possibly
future) GNUPLOT contributor myself I feel I have some interest in
making it happen.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
                -- George Orwell