Created product Version numbers

[ukusa]

Hi everyone,

Just want to get clarification on the "protocol" on how to determine what version number a program should be in development.

My beta version of a Psychosocial assessment database is just about ready to replace my older Paradox version. It's the 5th generation but stuck at .99 beta build 1 blah blah blah.

When I release it for official use, should that be Version 1.0 even though the user may still be testing things to get rectified? Some software places continue to Beta their software like ICQ but the build number is up in the thousands. Do I keep it at .99 until all hard to find bugs get flushed out but working brilliantly at the moment?

Thanks in advance!
Allen

 

[towerbase]

This is not really a Delphi question!

Why stop at 0.99 ? What's wrong with 0.100 and then 0.101 and so on?

The maximum value each of the four version numbers can have is 32767.

I think it is a mistake to consider the period as a decimal point. It is simply a device to separate numbers like the period in an IP address (where the maximum of each number is 255).

In the end it is up to you to decide how you use Major, Minor, Release and Build numbers. But it might be a good idea to let your user(s) know the significance you attach to them.

Andrew

 

[DaZZleD]

I don't think there's really any strict version naming protocol. You should use as beta until you decide to release, then keep increasing the subversion number as you repair bugs and add minor features. Once you decide the version changed enough from the original .0 or you give a completely new look or approach to the problem, then you increase the version number.

There's hardly a complicated software completely bug free so you should decide when the version is stable enough and tested enough to loose the beta.

 

[KempCGDR]

Remember, version x.0 of something always has bugs, so feel free to make it 1.0

In fact, never trust releases with even (0,2,4,etc) minor numbers.

 

[ukusa]

Thanks for that guys! The thought was around that I wanted a "near perfect" product before giving it a Ver 1.0 as we obviously we all aim for etc and I have to stay away from thinking that having subversion numbers doesn't make it bad in any way after the official release version. When programmed in Paradox / DBase etc, I never bothered with it but with this Delphi product going national, thought I do the right thing for version numbering. Thanks and cheers...

 

[Tracey]

my 5c....

if M$ didnt step version numbers up until they were bug free we would still be running IE 0.5.689

Tracey
Remember... True happiness is not getting what you want...

Its wanting what you have got!