Why I Use Fossil by Zed A Shaw
Why I Use Fossil by Zed A Shaw
Why I Use Fossil by Zed A Shaw
Shaw
ope!source or if I get too large. 7! most of these ser#ices it just takes o!e jerk pushi!g a few huge files i!to my source "efore my project is killed or a "ad eco!omy a!d sudde!ly the ser#ice is go!e. If you do!'t "elie#e me ask all those 8therpad or 9a""le9B users whether they'll trust a ser#ice agai!. I! the age of the :ac2hire purchase: putti!g my source code o! some other ser#er just is!'t a good mo#e. $ith optio! 65 I'm yak sha#i!g ser#er admi!istratio! rather tha! codi!g. I!stalli!g trac wiki user ma!ageme!t a!d other systems for multiple domai!s sucks hard. (ery hard. /ell trac for multiple projects sucks. If you add to this the hosti!g costs of these systems where each o!e is a ;<145<M pytho! process per project or site you start to see how it is!'t #ia"le for small projects or e#e! medium o!es. Curre!tly I spe!d a"out =4 for each project a!d i!#est almost !o time mai!tai!i!g them. &si!g a system like +rac >which is not easier to use B+$? or a!y wikis or a!y "log systems is just !ot eco!omically feasi"le.
Enter Fossil
+he ad#a!tage of fossil is it remo#es all the "arriers I ha#e to pu"lishi!g a project. If you wa!t to set up your first drop of a project it's this3 fossil ser#e +hat's all. 0ou !ow ha#e your !ew project i!cludi!g a wiki ticket tracki!g timeli!es re#isio! shu!!i!g user ma!ageme!t CSS*html tweaki!g a!d e#erythi!g you !eed to get started ready to go. )ot o!ly that "ut it's the same o! $i!dows @i!u' )etBS9 FreeBS9 a!d 7SA. Bretty much a!ywhere that s2lite; ca! "uild fossil ca! ru!. )ow to host this o! my ser#er what do I do. 4. Copy a pro'y sta!%a I ha#e for !gi!'. 5. Create a user for the site like say mo!grelde#. ;. Add fossil http /home/mongreldev/fossils/mongrel2.fossil comma!d to i!et or 'i!etd. C. But the .fossil s2lite; i! the right place. +hat's it a!d with this I get a !ice security "o!us that fossil will chroot a!d the! drop pri# to the user that ow!s taht fossil repo >i! this case mongreldev?. If it gets hacked the! they just ha#e access to that o!e user !ot the whole site. Demem"er though that this is!'t the process of just setti!g up the e2ui#ale!t to +rac. +his is the four steps I !eed to setup the e2ui#ale!t of3 4. 5. ;. C. E. F. )gi!' +rac a!d may"e Moi!Moi! if you !eeded. hg "rowse or whate#er git's usi!g that week &ser admi! for those. /++B access to git or hg. Fully a!!otated .%ip dow!loads.
G. DSS feeds of all cha!ges. H. For a full domai!. I. $ith custom looks CSS a!d logos for each project. 4<. Fully secured. I ru! this off a #ery ti!y (M slice as well a!d "ecause fossil is writte! i! C e#e! ru!!i!g it o! i!etd uses !o DAM a!d is fast. My fossil setups ha#e sur#i#ed simulta!eous hits from /acker)ews Deddit a!d Slashdot without falli!g dow!. +hat's with !o tu!i!g !o cachi!g a!d a! i!ted setup. +hat's really all there is to it. I do!'t thi!k fossil is really superior to the others as I'm sure they all ha#e their stre!gths a!d weak!esses. It's just if I'm goi!g to create projects fast a!d get them out !ot ha#i!g to deal the system admi!istratio! yak sha#i!g is great. I wa!t to code !ot "a"y site a +rac ha!d out ssh keys or figure out how to get hg to safely ser#e a timeli!e. For me the ease with which fossil lets me pu"lish far outweighs the risk of people !ot wa!ti!g to help o! my projects "ecause they do!'t like it. I! fact I'd say that if fossil's default CSS makes you !ot wa!t to co!tri"ute to my project the! I pro"a"ly would!'t wa!t to write code with you. It's a sig! that you ha#e a pro"lem o"jecti#ely e#aluati!g software a!d you'd pro"a"ly "ri!g the completely wro!g aesthetic to my code a!yway.