Beyond Compare from Scooter Software headquartered in Madison is a utility for comparing different version of documents and seeing the differences. It also allows changes to be merged and synchronized.
N/A
Code Compare
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Code Compare is a compare tool designed to compare and merge differing files and folders. Code Compare integrates with source control systems: TFS, SVN, Git, Mercurial, and Perforce. Code Compare is shipped both as a standalone file diff tool and a Visual Studio extension.
If your developer team is well-versed with standard VCS then I don't think they need this additional software to occupy their memory, they already have those capabilities within all VCS. A well-suited use case can be a team where not everybody has knowledge of VCS but has to collaborate on a project.
It allows for scrolling through both documents at the same line level meaning you are not required to skip between files to look at what is different between the two.
A comparison between registry hives can easily pinpoint issues for hundreds and thousands of records.
Tabbing can allow for multiple compares to take place at the same time.
I often need to exclude folders or files from the comparison. Currently, the fastest way is to right-click and then pick "exclude" from the context menu. Having the ability to multi-select folders and then exclude the group would be nice.
Sometimes we need to verify MD5 and SHA256 fingerprints, and this would be a nice enhancement within the tool.
Again, given the intuitive nature of this program, there is barely any learning curve needed. It is simple, reliable, accurate, and just one of those tools you always have with you and rarely think about until you don't have it. Then it is a case of OMG what was I thinking? This program is just very easy to use, and that makes it more valuable to me than some of my other software tools that cost significantly more.
I've only contacted Beyond Compare support for one issue ever, and that was an issue we had because we didn't track our license properly. Their support staff was friendly and helpful, quickly identifying the lost license key and helping us understand what our current license terms. We couldn't be happier with the responsiveness of their support.
When Beyond Compare 4 came out, we briefly considered looking at other tools, like Code Compare, but in all reality, we never really considered it a viable option. Beyond Compare offers such a comprehensive solution, especially with its Pro License (and 3-way merging functionality.). Our development team is so comfortable with Beyond Compare at this point that it would represent a learning curve to shift off of it.
