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   What Is FtpVC?

FtpVC (FTP Version Control) is a Windows application that uses the FTP protocol to provide a serverless version control system. FtpVC allows joint software development using Internet FTP connections. This program permits developers to get, check out, check in, undo check out, and label files on a remote server, that are part of a project. It also allows comparing files on the server to their local versions showing results in a two-pane window. FtpVC may be used for version control of source files, the makefile, or any other data. The simplicity of this program, in its current form, lies in the fact that it lacks some advanced features that are common to more sophisticated version control systems, such as branching and atomic transactions. On the other hand, one of its biggest advantages is the fact that no server setup is required -- FtpVC utilizes standard FTP servers. FtpVC provides all basic version control features that are necessary for any collaborative development. Thus, users from all over the world can now jointly and safely work on the same project without the possibility of conflict, with very little setup.

FtpVC includes some common features for an FTP client, such as put, delete, rename files and directories, and create directories. In the version control context these functions are needed to successfully manage files on a remote server. This is achieved by using so-called stubs to mark files on an FTP server. These very small files can be found in the FtpVC remote directory (./.ftpvc by default) with the .stub extension. However, FtpVC doesn't show them in its file window because these files are only there for support.

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