WANdisco, which offers products based on Subversion, announced on December 20 intentions to overhaul Subversion, proposing changes like enhanced Subversion merge performance, Subversion rename tracking to eliminate tree conflicts during merges when file names change, and improved SVN (Subversion) import to better manage branches. Other improvements eyed include repository-dictated configuration, making the Authz architecture more granular, and improved SVN blame, to make it possible to follow a complete merge history and trace code authors.

But Apache stresses the proposed improvements are already under way. "The Subversion development team is already working towards the enhancements that WANdisco inexplicably portrays as bold, controversial steps that must be pushed through in the face of (conveniently unnamed) opposition. WANdisco participates in Subversion development along with many parties, and the Subversion project has always welcomed WANdisco's contributions."

In an interview Monday, Apache's Karl Fogel, a founding developer of Subversion, described as "bizarre" WANdisco's public comments. "Basically, the press release and the blog post make it sound as though WANdisco has some kind of official steering position on the project," which is not true, Fogel said. WANdisco, however, has shown no intent to fork Subversion, and it "would be a disaster for them if they did," Fogel said.  

Richards said he has received dozens of emails and tweets from persons appreciating WANdisco's plans to improve Subversion. He called Subversion a "fantastic" product and expressed fear it would experience the same fate as the CVS (Concurrent Versions System) project. "CVS kind of hit a brick wall," with innovation stopping and Subversion taking its place, said Richards.

Richards acknowledged the emergence of the Git version control system but said it would be difficult for Git to overtake Subversion in the enterprise, since Git would have difficulties, such as meeting Sarbanes-Oxley regulatory requirements, including knowing where intellectual property resides.