ionForge Offers Free Evolution Source Control System Version 2.3 Single Seat License to Game Developers Conference Attendees

For a limited time -- developers attending the Game Developers Conference can download a free copy of ionForges (ionforge.com) Evolution 'Personal Edition, a full-featured, fully-functional source control solution.

(PRWEB) February 27, 2005 -- To qualify, developers must simply visit the ionForge website (http://www.ionforge.com) and follow the instructions.

At the upcoming Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, ionForge will officially announce the release of Evolution Source Control System version 2.3. Evolution 2.3 adds software configuration management features specifically for game developers, such as sophisticated handling of large digital assets to minimize disk space usage and maximize speed. Also included in the new version is the Adobe Photoshop plugin, the first in a series of integrations aimed at fulfilling the needs of game developers.

Games are notoriously the most difficult software development projects to keep on schedule and on budget," said ionForge CTO Nick Ni. By managing both digital assets and the entire development process without bogging the team down with unwieldy control mechanisms, we are dedicated to making Evolution the easiest, most convenient and cost-effective SCM solution for game developers."

In addition to these features to Evolution still includes an easy to use, intuitive interface, as well as advanced Source Control Management features such as:

•Real Time Multicast Updating - Metadata changes are shown instantly.
•Productions: Revision-tracked file groupings
•Snapshot Architecture: Manage immutable code states as components
•Reflections, Clones, Shards - Advanced branch types for automatic code propagation and simple merging
•Easy to learn / easy to use intuitive interface
•Import from other source control solutions
•Deferred Locks: Managed checkout queue automatically assigns next owner
•Advanced branching models - Flexible support for any development process
•Customizable Promotion Ladders - Customize Evolution to fit specific internal promotion processes
•Event triggers - Automate human procedures and manual scripts in build processes
•Special features reduce merge conflicts
•Database agnostic - Supports ANY ODBC datasource
•Uses enterprise level security
•Automated deployment through event triggers
•Identify project flaws through design deconstruction
•Complete change reports (exportable to HTML)
•Access code from anywhere using encrypted TCP/IP
•Obliteration feature -- removes code without harming history
•Works in Progress - Privately commits changes for only a single developer.
•Define work boundaries
•Insulate each component owner and let them handle the specifics of their Production and promote it up your promotion ladder accordingly

Evolution User Testimonials
ionForge Evolution's user interface is better than anything else I've used. I was using Perforce and having a lot of trouble with it because it was not intuitive at all." -Nathaniel L. Walker, University of Louisiana -- Lafayette

The Evolution Story (http://www.ionforge.com/products/evolution/)
Evolution was born out of our own team's real-life frustrations with the limitations of existing source control solutions, spanning from free products to outrageously priced software.

As a veteran developer himself, Nick Ni knows first hand the frustration of team software developing without proper processes. Data corruption, file collisions, and accurate project analysis are just some of the challenges that both managers and developers face when developing without a Source Control Management tool. Source Control Management is a central tool that allows developers to accurately control their source code, while allowing management to ensure project benchmarks are achieved on time.

Fueled by this frustration with existing Source Control Management solutions, Ni and his team of developers created Evolution , a robust Source Control Management tool that addresses many of the issues developers face today. Realizing that the goals of project managers often conflict with the processes of developers, Ni and his team built Evolution with advanced features that harmonize the efforts of these disparate groups.

http://www.ionforge.com/products/evolution/

As our own customers, ionForge developed Evolution as the solution all of our team members would want and need to use.
• Our developers needed convenient features to make their everyday tasks faster and easier, as well as the ability to abide by corporate policy without being bogged down by the burdens of tedious duties.
• Our build engineers complained about the difficult intricacies of creating scheduled daily builds for a variety of purposes.
• Our project managers and architects needed more sophisticated mechanisms to represent the complexities of designing and managing a project from conception to gold and beyond.

The answer to all these woes lay in source control.

In our research, we realized the crux of the issue was that source control was still viewed as nothing more than a method of backup. It was time for source control to evolve beyond this basic idea of a simple repository.

About ionForge (http://www.ionforge.com)
Founded in 2001, ionForge is committed to providing innovative solutions for the common problems encountered by software development teams.

Based in Orange County, California -- ionForge is focused on providing their clients with
•An immediate return on investment.
•Minimal transitional costs.
•Long-term value.

ionForge is committed to delivering solutions that solve problems immediately, require no downtime and have little learning curve, and provide obvious value in both the medium and long term.

Mission Statement
ionForge's mission is to increase the productivity of software development teams worldwide by providing solutions to the real problems they face both on a day-to-day basis and in the long term. Through innovative technology, creative thinking, and exceptional customer service, ionForge will solve the complex issues of large enterprises at a cost that teams of any size can afford.

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