Every time I have to do something even remotely complex in CVS, or watch someone else trying to do it, I think "there's got to be a better way".
Is there any interest in evaluating Perforce, after the 4.5 release is out? It's not Open Source but they do give free licenses to Open Source projects. I have not used it but I have been curious about it, and I believe aD switched to it towards the end (not that this is exactly a ringing endorsement, considering their other choices of tools at that time :).
If there is interest, I'll set up a copy for us to evaluate when Don feels he has sufficient time to look at it. I'm also open to looking at other tools, if anyone else has a favorite.