If a client machine crashes in the middle of updating a file, it can corrupt that file. Visual SourceSafe's stability is criticised due to the way Visual SourceSafe uses a direct, file-based access mechanism that allows any client to modify a file in the repository after locking it.
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Instead, files must be accessed through the VSS client tools - the VSS windows client, the VSS command-line tool, or some application that integrates with or emulates these client tools. In this mode, clients do not need write access to a SMB share where they can potentially damage the SS database. Starting with VSS 2005, Microsoft added a client–server mode. This, together with historic bugs in the codebase, occasionally led to SourceSafe database corruption, a problem noted by Microsoft. SourceSafe inherits its shared functionality using direct remote file system access to all the files in the repository.
For multi-user environments, however, it lacks many important features found in other SCM products, including support for atomic commits of multiple files ( CVS has the same problem as it is built upon the original RCS). In addition, the process of backing up can be as simple as copying all of the contents of a single directory tree. It allows a single user system to be set up with less configuration than that of some other SCM systems. Architecturally, this serves as both a strength and weakness of design, depending on the environment it is used in.
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SourceSafe was initially not a client/server Source Code Management, but rather a local only SCM system. developed Visual SourceSafe for Macintosh in cooperation with Microsoft. After the acquisition, Mainsoft Corporation developed SourceSafe for UNIX in cooperation with Microsoft. With the acquisition of One Tree Software, Microsoft discontinued its source code control product at the time, Microsoft Delta. Microsoft SourceSafe 3.1, Windows 16-bit-only and Macintosh, rebranded One Tree 3.0 versions, were briefly available before Microsoft released a Version 4.0.
When Microsoft bought OneTree in 1994, they immediately ceased development on all versions except for Windows. x cycles, supporting DOS, OS/2 (with a Presentation Manager GUI), Windows, Windows NT, Mac, and Unix. One Tree SourceSafe had gone through several releases in their 1. SourceSafe was originally created by a North Carolina company called One Tree Software.