Glossary » sccs

sccs

source code control system or version control system (vcs) or revision control system (rcs); a software application designed to help coordinate document modifications and updates among a group of people (especially coordinating updates to software source code). Source code control systems are an example of asynchronous groupware systems.

Each person who wishes to modify source code “checks out” the code, which notifies others who wish to access that code that it is currently being modified. Once the change is made, it is “checked in”. Versions are tracked so that it is possible to revert to previous versions of a document. The system also conveniently handles large sets of documents and frequently handles contingencies between them. Some systems include the ability for multiple people to modify the same document at the same time (but independently) and then to resolve differences once the documents are merged.