Don revision control systems (rcs or cvs) provide equal functionality?
One part of the update file system (of which line numbers are part) is indeed to save space and store only changes from a base file and this is replicated – and improved upon with rcs or cvs. However, the other part of the system involves the addition of functionality that is generally independent of the base code (i.e the tracer code, the stratospheric code, the coupling to the ocean, options for diagnostic output etc), which can be applied directly to any version of the base code, hopefully with only minimal changes. This is not replicated by standard rcs/cvs systems (and indeed they do not try). This functionality is to some extent similar to the use of pre-processor directives, but as the number of options grow (as they will), this produces unwieldy and overly complicated base code. Thirdly, line numbers are a very easy way to refer to code sections, either to describe what is going on, or to refer to specific lines, for instance, when a bug is discovered.
