Concerning the repository ... I just committed another repository interface :-) that tries to be a best effort in consolidating all the different approaches and accommodating all concerns in a flexible way (by having opional helpers for property management, versoning and transaction management).
Admittedly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around all this repository and source stuff. Mainly I do Cocoon applications on SQL databases, so I'm not very familiar with other sources.
I'll try to come up with a first cut of an implementation for a WebDAV repository by the end of next weekend.
I'll wait for your commit. In the meantime, I'll try to learn.
Ugo