Version Number
Introduction
This article should help to find a correct version number for a software product. A Custom Track is a software product and should follow the rules, so that all people know what the author means. The goal is to avoid the RC mixture used by CT authors.
Basic Versioning
If software (and also tracks) is developed, it goes through several stages and many builds (compiled/generated versions). Sometimes the author wants to publish some of these builds, so the author should find a good version name.
The stages are not clearly defined and the following are only suggestions:
- A Preview is a very early stage of the software and not usable.
- An Alpha version is principal complete with known major bugs.
- A Beta version is nearly ready with known minor bugs.
- A Release Candidate (RC) has no known bugs and is published for final tests. Typically used for programs.
- A Release is bug free — or should be bug free.
Preview
A preview (pre release) is a very early and incomplete copy of the software. It should give some impressions.
- Examples for naming
- pre-3
- preview4
- v3.pre5
Alpha
An alpha version has (nearly) all things implemented and is much closer to a product than a Preview, but it has some known major bugs or some missing parts of the software.
- Examples for naming
- alpha
- a4
- v3.alpha-5
Beta
A beta version is nearly ready, has some known minor bugs, and works generally as expected. The author gives it away for tests to find more bugs.
- Examples for naming
- beta
- b4
- v3.beta-5
Release Candidate
A release candidate (RC) is a candidate for the release. The author means that it is bug-free (if not, the author must declare the known minor bugs) and gives it away for final tests.
RC1 means first release candidate and RC2 second release candidate. Numbers like RC0.9 and RC1.4 are nonsense. If the last RC is stable, it becomes a release without update and for example v1.
- Examples for naming
- RC1
- rc-2
- v3.rc2
Release
If the release candidate is stable and well-tested, it is renamed to "v*". "*" may be nearly anything.
- Examples for naming
- v1
- v1.2
- v1a
- v1.12b
- v00001.02.0003
The preceding v is often omitted for final releases, where the author has no initial intention of updating the software.
More Specific Version Numbers
Version numbers can be combined with preview, alpha, beta or release candidate (for example, a beta for version 2). Separate the suffix from the main version number by a period.
- Examples for naming
- v3.pre-1
- v12.alpha
- v2.b3 (b for beta)
- v5.RC3
Proof Of Concept
A Proof Of Concept (POC) is a software version to test a concept of anything, like the »Train for Kalimari POC«. The goal of a POC track is not to have a running track, but to find out, if a technical detail will work.
- Examples for naming
- POC-1
- poc2