Should I move to Subversion 1.6

Subversion is improving and adding new features all the time. The merge tracking features introduced in Subversion 1.5 with further improvements in Subversion 1.6 have radically simplified the merging process. As a result the tedious administration activities have been lessened and we are given time to consider bigger issues such as advanced branching techniques that improve time to market of our products. However the additional complexity of Subversion 1.5 and Subversion 1.6 come with a price - and it is one worth considering. With the rapid introduction of significant functionality into any software product, significant bugs and defects are to some extent unavoidable and Open Source is no exception. For example consider the number of fixes required to repair segmentation faults in Subversion: Subversion 1.6 : 4 in 2 months Subversion 1.5 : 5 in 7 months Subversion 1.4 : 1 in 15 months Some fixes for later version could be attributed to delayed fixes from earlier versions however you need to go back to early Subversion 1.2 to see a similar number of faults. None of this indicates poor product - simply that the scale of changes are such that they need time to settle. So what is our advice? If you are using Subversion 1.4 or lower, the changes in Subversion 1.5 and 1.6 are such an improvement that you should not be discouraged. However, if you are already at Subversion 1.5 we would recommend waiting another few months for Subversion 1.6 to stabilise. Clearvision offer Subversion Training, Subversion Support, Subversion Consulting and Subversion Products including a ClearCase to Subversion Integration (CC2SVN).