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rcsdiff

Compare RCS file revisions

TLDR

Compare working file with latest revision
$ rcsdiff [file]
Compare specific revisions
$ rcsdiff -r[1.1] -r[1.2] [file]
Unified diff format
$ rcsdiff -u [file]
Context diff format
$ rcsdiff -c [file]
Compare with specific revision
$ rcsdiff -r[1.5] [file]
Side by side
$ rcsdiff -y [file]

SYNOPSIS

rcsdiff [-r rev1] [-r rev2] [-u] [-c] file

DESCRIPTION

rcsdiff compares revisions of files managed by the Revision Control System (RCS). Without a -r flag, it compares the current working file against the latest checked-in revision, showing local modifications. With one -r flag it compares the working file against a specific revision, and with two -r flags it compares two historical revisions directly.The tool supports all standard diff output formats including unified (-u), context (-c), side-by-side (-y), and normal diff. It passes through options to the underlying diff command, making it a convenient wrapper for comparing version-controlled file histories.

PARAMETERS

-r REV

Revision to compare.
-u
Unified diff output.
-c
Context diff output.
-y
Side by side.
-q
Quiet mode.
-n
RCS format output.

INSTALL

sudo apt install rcs
sudo dnf install rcs
sudo pacman -S rcs
sudo apk add rcs
sudo zypper install rcs
brew install rcs
nix profile install nixpkgs#rcs

CAVEATS

RCS is legacy system. Consider Git instead. File-level versioning only.

HISTORY

rcsdiff is part of RCS (Revision Control System), created by Walter Tichy in 1982 at Purdue University.

SEE ALSO

rcs(1), ci(1), co(1), diff(1)