Hi Lee,

I've used Clearcase for about 5 years, P4 for 1yr. Some points, a couple of which answer you questions. Pro's and con's are from the Clearcase view.

1) Pro: Clearmake. Fantastic. Clearmake knows _every_file_ that is used in a build since Clearcase is in total control of the file system. If the developers are doing similar builds, then Clearmake will fetch an object file from another developer if it matches the source in the current developers view. Build time and the need for many compiler licenses diminishes.

2) Pro: Branches. This is the BIG difference between P4 and Clearcase. Branches in Clearcase are wonderful. Branches in Clearcase are NOT directories. A view spec cites which version of a file the client is interested in and it's that version that appears in the directory. Clearcase branching is like nothing else and nothing else comes close to it's brilliance. Be prepared for a steep learning curve.

3) Pro: Config spec. In P4 it's awkward to sync to certain versions of some files, and different versions of others, especially in sub-directories. Branching and the config spec in Clearcase is a clear winner.

4) Con: Have list. Clearcase hasn't got one of these and they damn well should. It's wonderful. As a result, working remotely from a VOB is a real pain and awfully slow. We had a special tool to sync a UNIX VOB to a local Windows directory, but the timestamp was the check-in time stamp which made building in Windows troublesome. P4 defaults to the sync time, so the build system detects all changed files easily. With no have list, syncing to a VOB is slow. I'm in Aus and the P4 server is in the US - syncing isn't a problem, even for our sites in Japan, UK etc. We all sync to the server in the US. Each of your 5 sites would need a local VOB, while with P4, I suspect one depot would be enough.

5) Con: License cost: I'm not sure of the exact amounts, but I'm pretty sure a Clearcase seat costs significantly more than a P4 seat. However, you will save compiler license costs though if you use Clearmake).

These are the major issues. If you can afford the cost per seat and VOB at each site, Clearcase with Multisite is the best bar none. If the cost is too high and there are remote workers (ie: you just want one VOB), P4 wins the business.

Cheers, Rich :-)