Which subversive connector discovery to use

java eclipse svn subversive
Mahmoud Saleh picture Mahmoud Saleh · Oct 9, 2011 · Viewed 15.5k times · Source

After I installed the SVN plugin in Eclipse and restarted it, a message appeared asking to install a connector. There are SVN Kit and Native JavaHL connectors. I am confused which one to install and why, can any one please guide me.

Answer

mliebelt picture mliebelt · Oct 9, 2011

The two connectors should both work, here are the differences (more from experience by using them, not by reading their source code):

  • SVN Kit:
    • Works on all platforms, is a Java-only implementation (no need for DLLs or shared libraries).
    • Is a little bit slower than JavaHL Native.
    • Keeps its configuration at some other place than a real subversion client like TortoiseSVN (on windows). So if you need both, you have to keep that in mind.
  • JavaHL Native:
    • Needs a shared library (DLL), that has the same major version as the installed Subversion client. So if you use SVN command client 1.6.x, you should install / use the corresponding JavaHL version.
    • Is easy to use under Windows, more difficult to find the right version for Linux or Mac OS X (see Subclipse Wiki: JavaHL
    • Is faster and uses the same configuration as the installed SVN command client or TortoiseSVN client.

So you may install both, and switch between them under Windows > Preferences > Team > SVN > SVN Connector. I have used both and did not notice much difference in my normal word, only in special circumstances. If JavaHL fits in, it is the better connector in my opinion.

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