Flare 3.1 and CVS

[Robert Hardy]

We are updating to 3.1 and plan to use Dotnet help instead of HTML help.
In the 3.1 Getting Started Guide there is mention of source control integration but I cannot find many actual details, we use CVS at present and I keep the .CHM files under this control (because our developer prefers it this way) and this works fine.
I like the sound of the instant message / email system, has anyone used this facility ?.
Any other comments about Flare 3.1 and CVS ? before we go too far down this route.
Thanks
Bob

[RamonS]

You need to know that Flare only supports the single-vendor, proprietary MSSSC API. That is of course only available natively in expensive Microsoft applications such as Team Foundation Server. But, the folks at http://www.pushok.com made a plugin that gives CVS or SVN the MSSSC API capabilities so that it can be made work with Flare. Last time I checked, each license from Pushok came in at 29$. That means you would need a license for each Flare user. Others have tried this, I didn't so far (don't have the budget), so you need to wait for someone else to chime in.
In regards to the messaging, I really don't see the benefit at all in the way it got implemented in Flare. As far as I know, messaging only works among those who currently have Flare open. So if someone closed down Flare to work on screen shots the messages won't come in. I think getting ICQ, AIM, MSM or the like paired with good ol' email, which you most likely already have, is doing the trick and doesn't tie your team members to be glued to Flare in order to get messages.
In regards to using CVS, you do not have to have Flare integrate with the source control, you could handle the sources from outside of Flare using one of the many CVS clients or even the command line - which is also what I recommended to MadCap to use for source control integration. Would have made it much easier to have Flare talk to a wide array of source control systems, but no, it had to be the Microsoft only solutions that costs everyone just more money. Really disappointing!