We’d love to add full SVN features to Path Finder, but it’s a larger task than we’re currently able to handle.

There are a couple solid SVN clients for Mac:
Versions – http://versionsapp.com/
Cornerstone – http://www.zennaware.com/

This feature is likely to be perpetually “planned” as the Finder is so deeply embedded into the operating system.

To remove the Finder icon from the dock and application switcher:
1. Path Finder > Finder > Enable Finder’s “Remove from Dock”
2. Right-click on the Finder dock icon and select “Remove from Dock.” This works even while the Finder is running, allowing it to run silently in the background.

The dock’s trash can is hard-coded to use the Finder, so there’s nothing we can do about it.

It may be possible for us to implement folder merging on Lion since this appears to have been added to OS X’s file copy API.