You can make drush fetch packages from CVS.

--package-handler=cvs Use CVS to checkout and update projects.

You can add that to your drushrc.php file in many different possible locations, so for now let's assume ~/.drush/drushrc.php

You can even make drush do the adding and removing of files itself using :
--version-control=svn
--svnsync

and make it autocommit using :
--svncommit

Thanks adrian! Though I'm still not sure what the actual benefit of using CVS as the package handler is

I could see it being useful for generating patches if you're contributing to a module - but as mostly just a user of a module, I'm having a little trouble seeing how CVS improves my workflow.

I pose myself the same question as krs (good thread!)

I can see the point of svn for my project, but as a module consumer (as yet not commiter) what is the point of pulling stable releases from drupal/cvs? Anyone?

using cvs is still a good idea because you can make patches using cvs. it doesn't really cost you anything but allows you to keep track of your own changes and to be a good drupal contributor.

I just recently discovered CVS first and then Drush but now I'm baffled. I thought Drush automated the use of CVS. I too primarily consume modules.

@Aaron
Definitely if you're thinking of patching a module you'll need CVS. However, for clients I usually try to stick to the contributed code as-is. Getting a patch committed to a contrib module can be a long process, and if your client's deadline is short you can't rely on it.

@Oladeji
Drush can help download modules either from CVS or as just a tarball - see Adrian's first comment. But the rest of CVS is still up to you.

Cool article, I'm new to Drush and loving it so far. I'm bummed at work though because the sites that I work on in the corporate environment are all MS SQL and Windows Server 2003. When we go live I'll have to run Xammp on the Windows Server because I don't want to stray from MySQL and the IT guys tell me that PHP on MS SQL doesn't work worth beans.

Anyway, not sure if I should start with Subversion or CVS...I'm a newbie to both and I guess it will take some hardcore googling to figure out which one I should use.

@spencer720

At the most basic basic level, CVS and SVN are very similar - a lot of commands translate well between the two. They are different in some areas like branching and merging, but for the most part the operate very similarly. If you're just getting into it, try SVN first, it's more modern.