I would like to drop the beta designation as it currently exists and
change the version to a triplet -- 21.2.XX. I am undecided whether
the string `beta' should remain in the version string. This proposal
is biased towards the side of minimal change.
In terms of programmer visible changes, the variable `emacs-version'
would change from:
"21.2 \"Aglaia-pre1\" XEmacs Lucid (beta3)"
to:
"21.2.3 \"Aglaia-pre1\" XEmacs Lucid (beta)"
with the " (beta)" disappearing when the release is imminent.
The function `emacs-version' which currently returns (something like)
"XEmacs 21.2 \"Aglaia-pre1\" [Lucid] (i586-pc-linux, Mule) of Tue Sep 29
1998 on altair.xemacs.org"
would now return:
"XEmacs 21.2.3 \"Aglaia-pre1\" [Lucid] (i586-pc-linux, Mule) of Tue Sep 29
1998 on altair.xemacs.org"
The variable `emacs-beta-version' gets obsoleted and becomes
`emacs-build-version' and the variable `xemacs-betaname' continues as
a boolean test whether or not the running XEmacs is experimental or
not.
This resolves the obvious naming problems when we need multiple
post-beta releases prior to 'net release and eliminates the problem of
consecutive numbering when shifting from -betaXX to -pre1.
If there aren't any serious objections, I'll make a patch which
implements this for 21.2.3.
Comments?