Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!faline!thumper!ulysses!andante!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!tektronix!reed!bart
From: bart@reed.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: Naming conventions for system releases and updates
Message-ID: <9453@reed.UUCP>
Date: 4 Jun 88 19:28:15 GMT
References: <2290@quacky.mips.COM>
Reply-To: bart@reed.UUCP (Bart Massey)
Organization: Reed College, Portland OR
Lines: 22

In article <2290@quacky.mips.COM> dce@mips.COM (David Elliott) writes:
> We are trying to define release and update naming conventions for our
> system products.
> 
> [description of several complicated numbering schemes]

I've wished out loud for years that everyone would adopt the following
numbering scheme.  Start numbering at 1.  Each time a new version is
released, increment by 1.  In addition to the version number, distribute
a change log with a short (1-10 line?) description of the state and
changes for each version from 1 to current.  If the log gets "too long",
you've got a new product.  Rename it altogether.

Note that the change log doesn't necessarily have to have the blow-by-blow
details -- such a log will fit in a few K or on a few pages / 10s of pages
for most any product.  I'm sick of trying to guess from version numbers like
'11.34b-1' how much and what has changed since '11.32a(mctesque)'.  Please???

						Bart

"So how different is version 7.3 from version 7.2?"
".1"