Meta-Description of changes in the repository format

[Arne Babenhauserheide]

Hi, 

Would it be possible to create a meta-description of the changes in the 
repository format to enable old versions of Mercurial to read repositories in 
a changed format? 

That description could be stored in the newer repositories, and when Mercurial 
realizes that it is too old for the repository, it could use the meta-
description to work with the repository anyway. 

That kind of working with a repository wouldn't have to be fast, since it 
would just be about being able to use the repository at all (and could prompt 
the user to update). 

For example that could be done by including (GnuPG) signed code-snippets in 
the repository (".hg/") and a signed info-file that instructs old versions 
which snippets to use - both signed to avoid people wreaking havoc on other 
machines with arbitrary code. 

Best wishes, 
Arne
-- 
-- My stuff: http://draketo.de - stories, songs, poems, programs and stuff :)
-- Infinite Hands: http://infinite-hands.draketo.de - singing a part of the 
history of free software.
-- Ein Würfel System: http://1w6.org - einfach saubere (Rollenspiel-) Regeln.

-- PGP/GnuPG: http://draketo.de/inhalt/ich/pubkey.txt
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 197 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part.
Url : http://selenic.com/pipermail/mercurial/attachments/20080926/773b8e66/attachment.pgp