Migration of Bazaar to Git

Description

This is just a proposal!

The idea is that the development and improvement of bazaar is not reliable anymore. See for this:

• https://www.stationary-traveller.eu/pages/bzr-a-retrospective.html
• https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/bazaar/2012q4/075390.html
• Even Launchpad are now offering git repositories as well: https://help.launchpad.net/Code/Git

In 2009, we actually initially used Git for hosting the source code of OpenPetra! We still have some documentation for that in the wiki:

• How to work with git on the command line

TODO

• Costs of hosting a private repository of git on Launchpad, github and on other available git hosting platforms need to be looked at.
  • see #Costs of hosting private repositories
• Investigate how Launchpad Git repositories work.
  • see #Investigation of Launchpad Git Repositories
• Investigate if Github, other git hosting platforms or own hosted gitlab is more suitable.
  • investigate the varying features these hosting platforms have to offer
  • see #Feature Comparison of Git Hosting
• Clients: Integrate git in VisualStudio and SharpDevelop, TortoiseGit in Windows Explorer, Github Desktop
• Document conversion from bzr to git and keeping the history. see http://www.pokorra.de/2013/10/mirror-a-bazaar-repository-from-launchpad-to-github/
• Jenkins: use git instead of bzr
• nant: changes to import translations
• nant: changes to use current bzr version number in the petra client
• Time estimation for switch over
• document benefits of a switch over

Document usage of git on these pages:

• How to work with git on the command line
• How to work with git through the GUI on Windows

Costs of hosting private repositories

• Launchpad
  • https://launchpad.net/+tour/join-launchpad#commercial
  • 250 USD per year plus 20% VAT if you are in the EU

• Github
  • https://github.com/pricing
  • personal plan: Micro: 7 USD per month, 84 USD per year
  • organisation plan: Bronce: 25 USD per month, 300 USD per year
  • difference between personal and organisational: https://help.github.com/articles/what-s-the-difference-between-user-and-organization-accounts/
    • mainly: multiple admins

• Gitlab.com
  • https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-com/
  • free without support
  • Unlimited private and public repositories
  • Unlimited private collaborators

• Gitlab hosted by Timotheus
  • https://git.solidcharity.com
  • 200 Euro per year

• self hosted Gitlab
  • Open Source: no license fee
  • could run inside ICT
  • problem: need to maintain the server. needs quite some RAM. Ubuntu packages are available.
  • problem: make available to people from outside, Timotheus would not have a VPN access

Feature Comparison of Git Hosting

• Launchpad
  • the way that the branches work with bazaar has not been fully ported to git yet. That would be an advantage, because the same words are used as with Bazaar.
  • see https://help.launchpad.net/Code/Git#What_will_be_supported.3F
  • it says: the interface for registering merge proposals is very rough
  • poor code browser

• Github
  • state of the art
  • many people are used to it
  • Pull requests (similar to merge requests) work really nice, notices merge conflict before you can submit the pull request
  • very good code browser, revision browser

• Gitlab
  • not as perfect as Github, but pretty well done. getting there!
  • web interface for browsing the code and revisions can be slow on big commits

Investigation of Launchpad Git Repositories

• see https://help.launchpad.net/Code/Git

vi ~/.gitconfig
  [url "git+ssh://tpokorra@git.launchpad.net/"]
       insteadof = lp:
  [url "git+ssh://tpokorra@git.launchpad.net/~tpokorra/+git/"]
       insteadof = lpme:
mkdir test
cd test
git init
vi readme.md
git add readme.md
git commit -a -m "initial commit"
git remote add origin lpme:test
git push --set-upstream origin master

see result at:

• https://code.launchpad.net/~tpokorra/+git
• https://code.launchpad.net/~tpokorra/+git/test
• https://git.launchpad.net/~tpokorra/+git/test/

useful git commands

# do not pull the whole history, but just the latest commit. save download bandwidth
git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/openpetra/openpetra.git myopenpetradirectory