SnailSVN: SVN for Finder for PC and Mac

Software Reviews and Criticism

• By PK1048

  Useful but missing one critical feature for me

  I had been using Cornerstone to check in and manage system config files with our SVN repos. I had been looking for an alternative for a while and came across SnailSVN. I had used TortiseSVN under Windows years ago and it worked fine for what we needed. So far I have been very happy with SnailSVN. It is slow, but I expected that, especially given the size of our repos (lots of small config files). I like the integration with the Finder, it makes it very easy to see status of files (up to date, changed, not added yet), and run Commits and Updates. I would have given it 5 stars but for two issues. One is probably my fault, the other is the way it works. I have not been able to convince it to use my installation of BBEdit for compares (diff). The other issue is that it is NOT maintaining timestamp on checked out files. I rely on the timestamp to know when a config file has changed and whne I need to push a new one out to the server (using Yummy PRO SFTP tool). Unfortunately, all the local copies of the config files are timestamped when I checked them out and not the last time they were modified. Cornerstone was able to maintain modification time, so I know it can be done. I would love to see that as an option in the SnailSVN configuration.

  
  
• By jfm501

  Very nice!

  This is a really fine way to interact with your SVN repository(ies) from within the Finder, and (aside from a few quibbles) I really like it much more than using the Versions app or (heaven forbid) the command line. It has a few rough spots (still working on getting icon overlays to work on Catalina), but honestly I would thoroughly recommend this if you'd like to interact from Finder with your repository. I'm very happy with my purchase, and would recommend without hesitation.

  
  
• By daisymae6580

  It’s just… ok

  It’s ok. As a former Windows/TortoiseSVN user, the repo setup process is much more tedious for this. Also, it seems to randomly not be able to see repos that have been setup forever (Errors about not being able to get repository info) which is a real headache when you’re trying to get time-sensitive work out the door. The finder icons are often missing as well as the right-click menu options. Often a restart is the only way to resolve the issue.

  
  
• By shoecart

  It’s ok :-/

  It can be more convenient than the command line, but there are several little issues that make it far from great: - does not work with svn 1.8 working copies - icons and dialog layout taken straight from TortoiseSVN (not a good thing) - no way to edit files in diff view - no graphical merge - no way to specify an external merge/diff tool to address the shortcomings above - reverting some changes seems to fail without using the force checkbox, but doesn’t really tell you why - adding a folder on the commit dialog requires closing and reopening the dialog to see the files inside the folder - no interface for “svn cleanup” - random X and Lock icon overlays hang around in finder after some update actions Overall it feels more like a beta than a version 1.0, hopefully it will get better with time.

  
  

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