ESRG Release Version Number Assignment Policy

To maintain good administrative order, there is a policy for how version numbers of materials released by the ESRG are assigned, and how the materials are released.  Here are the policies.

1. All materials and downloads are released simultaneously with the same version number.  (This means that every release is a "full" release.  It is possible or even likely that some materials are unchanged from release to release except for the version number.)
   
2. There are NO patches.  If a bug is not critical, it can be ignored until the next release.  If a bug is critical, it can accelerate the next release (perhaps the release would be made with just the bug fix).  Releases are "all or nothing", and there is no notion of a "patch".
   
3. There are NO "silent" releases.  To avoid confusion, any change in the set of released materials requires another version number.  Allowing a situation where two things which are [even subtly] different but have the same version number causes confusion.
   
4. Version numbers are of the form:
   
   <Major number>.<2-Digit Minor number><Optional "A" for "alpha" release>.<2-digit bug fix number>
   
   For example, these are valid version numbers and their meanings:
   
   • 1.06A.00:  This is the "alpha" (trial, or not fully stable) release of version 1.06.  (Note that "A" is normally only used with a bug fix number of "00".) 
   • 1.07.09:  This is the ninth bug fix release of stable release version 1.07.00.
     
5. Version numbers normally follow this sequential cycle:
   • An alpha release, such as "v1.06A.00".
   • A stable release, which will consist of the alpha release with any bugs corrected, such as "v1.06.00".
   • Bug fixes to the stable release, such as "v1.06.01", "v1.06.02", etc.

This web page is maintained by David T. Ashley.