SVN working copy is just another directory on the system. Files in this directory can be edited with any editing software the user wishes to use. The changes will be incorporated into the repository only when the user explicity instructs SVN to do so using

$ svn commit 

command. Changes made by other users will be incorporated into a working copy only when its owner explicitly instructs SVN to do so using

$ svn update 

command. Multiple working copies can be create on a system. SVN creates and maintains extra files inside .svn directory (inside the working copy) which are necessary for SVN to performs its tasks such as update, commit, etc. The .svn directory should never be edited with operating system commands. This could lead to nasty problems.

Any editing software can be used to edit file contents. These modifications would automatically be detected by SVN. Changes to the filesystem tree such as moving, copying, deleting and renaming files and directories should NOT be made using shell commands such as mv, cp, rm, and mkdir. Instead use svn move, svn copy, svn delete and svn mkdir. These SVN commands make the necessary modification in the working copy and these changes are copied to the repository upon svn commit.