AccuRev this week is shipping upgrades to its SCM (software configuration management) system and related products, featuring the ability to link to third-party issue-tracking systems.

With a focus on global, distributed development, AccuRev believes its new SCM package, AccuRev 4.0, differentiates itself from its chief rival, IBM Rational ClearCase.

"They've been dominant, up at the top of the market for years and what we see happening is the market is changing because software development is changing in pretty dramatic ways," said Cliff Utstein, vice president of marketing and business development at AccuRev.

AccuRev recognizes trends of having globally based developers as well as developers having to cope with multiple releases of software simultaneously, Utstein said.

As part of its introduction of AccuRev 4.0, AccuRev also is launching AccuBridge SDK, which features a Java API to link AccuRev to third-party issue-tracking tools and other types of tools. Serena TeamTrack integration is supported out of the box and a link to Rational ClearQuest is planned. Users also can develop their own custom integrations to issue-tracking tools, requirements management tools, and other tools.

"You can integrate with third-party products in order to manage a complex, global development project," Utstein said.

Version 4.0 features its own issue-tracking capabilities, known as AccuWork 4.0. Previously, this technology was known as AccuRev Dispatch. New in AccuWork 4.0 is automatic change package merging, for synchronizing changes amongst different releases.

Another key new feature being introduced with Version 4.0 is an enhanced version of AccuReplica, which is an optional replication server previously known as AccuRev Replication Server. AccuReplica enables users to selectively synchronize software development "depots" at multiple sites. A software project in San Francisco, for example, could be replicated in Bangalore, India.

"What this does is it enables you to replicate your software development depot or repository wherever you need to," Utstein said.

Enhancements to the StreamBrowser functionality in AccuRev 4.0 enable users to zoom in on specific lines of code. StreamBrowser presents a visual representation of the software development process. New visual icon representation in StreamBrowser provide visual depictions of a project's status and progress.

Version 4.0 features an enhanced queries tab, said AccuRev user Fran Schmidt, software configuration manager at Source Medical, which develops software for medical outpatient facilities.

"When you go to the queries tab, it'll basically show the developers the status of all the code in the workspace," she said.

The Enterprise edition of AccuRev 4.0 is priced at US$1,495 per developer.

Having recently joined the Eclipse Foundation for open source developer tools, AccuRev also is participating in the Eclipse Application Lifecycle Framework project. This effort focuses on developing a standardized set of Web services for integrating IDEs, requirements management tools, software configuration management tools, and testing tools.

The Eclipse effort eventually will supercede AccuRev's AccuBridge technology for use in Eclipse environments.