Command line CVS

There are a number of GUI CVS clients available. However, to make the most direct use of the handbook documentation, you may wish to try using the command line version of CVS. This is normally standard on a *nix computer but it is also available on Windows and Mac machines.

Mac

The typical way to get CVS is from the Apple Xcode tools. You may have this on your install disk. Just insert the Install disk and look for it. Once installed you should run a Software Update in case there have been updates since the CD was created.

If you don't want to install the entire XCode Tools package (it is very large), you can get CVS by selecting the "custom installation" and selecting only the Developer's Tools package (which weighs in itself at 242 MB.)

If you do not have the install disk you can also sign up for a free Apple ADC account and download and install the latest version from Apple. Apple also has a tutorial on using the command-line cvs client.

There is a video about installing CVS from XCode Tools in the Videocasts section of the handbook.

Alternatively, if you use fink you can just 'fink install cvs' to get the binaries.

Windows

For Windows users, the most popular way to get access to command line CVS is to install Cygwin. An alternative is to use CVSNT. Both of these tools are free.