Software CM

First, one spoke of CM. Only later did one start to speak of SCM, but how to parse this, and what was meant?

Parsing SCM is ambiguous: Software can bind to either Configuration or to Management. Both make sense! It can be the management of software configurations, or Software CM.

But even in the latter case, the kind of binding is ambiguous: it can be either the CM of software, or CM in (with the help of) software.

We have thus altogether 3 possible interpretations. I argue that all are valid (there wasn't ever a discrimination) and none of them actually restricts CM in any way.

Indeed, even 'the CM of software' opens the door to the management of arbitrary domains via their software representation. The consequence however, is that SCM being management of software in software becomes itself part of what it acts upon. It is not anymore an outsider point of view, but is involved. It is not anymore the responsibility of specialists, but concerns the end users. Therefore SCM on SCM.

-- MarcGirod - 27 Jan 2003