Matt's Source Control Tool (mscm)

My goal with this tool is to create a top-of-the line source control tool, a la ClearCase.

My main feature goals are these:

• Checkout directories in order to add/rename/delete files or directories
• Atomic checkins
• Usable API for custom tool integration
• Directories and Files are "elements"
• Repository structure modeled after unix filesystems (directories are containers of other elements; hard/soft links)
• Sandbox uses a "load file" to determine which repositories or parts of repositories to load
• Normal SCM stuff: diff, history, label
• Branches are applied to element (visible in element history), not to repository structure (new folder)
• "Check out/Edit/Check in" development style

I want to play with some new technologies when I create this. My architecture sketch is this:

• Written in Java, since it seems to work out well for enterprise-class solutions.
• Use something like mysql for data storage, and hibernate as an O/RM.
• Use Spring Framework for whatever it is that it does

Comparison to other SCM tools

Yesterday I came across the Wikipedia list of revision-control apps, and saw that there are a lot more choices for SCM than I had thought. So I sat down and made a list of some things that I think are important to have in an SCM tool, and will evaluate other tools to see if there are any that I'd be happy with instead.