Re: ``xemacs-21.2-b23''

As far as I know, it was Steve who changed the numbering. I've never liked it, and I suggest we switch back to the old system. I actually talk about this a fair amount in Architecting XEmacs; here's an excerpt: First of all, it needs to be immediately clear from the version number whether the release is a beta release or a net release. Steve has proposed getting rid of the beta version numbering system, which I think would be a big mistake. Furthermore, the net release version number and beta release version number should be kept separate, just as they are now, to make it completely clear where any particular release stands. There may be alternate ways of phrasing a beta release other than something like 21.0 beta 34, but in all such systems, the beta number needs to be zero for any release version. Three possible alternative systems, none of which I like very much, are: 1.The beta number is simply an extra number in the regular version number. Then, for example, 21.0 beta 34 becomes 21.0.34. The problem is that the release version, which would simply be called 21.0, appears to be earlier than 21.0 beta 34. 2.The beta releases appear as later revisions of earlier releases. Then, for example, 21.1 beta 34 becomes 21.0.34, and 21.0 beta 34 would have to become 21.-1.34. This has both the obvious ugliness of negative version numbers and the problem that it makes beta releases appear to be associated with their previous releases, when in fact they are more closely associated with the following release. 3.Simply make the beta version number be negative. In this scheme, you'd start with something like -1000 as the first beta, and then 21.0 beta 34 would get renumbered to 21.0.-968. Obviously, this is a crazy and convoluted scheme as well, and we would be best to avoid it. Currently, the between-beta snapshots are not numbered, but I think that they probably should be. If appropriate scripts are handled to automate beta release, it should be very easy to have a version number automatically updated whenever a snapshot is made. The number could be added either as a separate snapshot number, and you'd have 21.0 beta 34 pre 1, which becomes before 21.0 beta 34; or we could make the beta number be floating point, and then the same snapshot would have to be called 21.0 beta 33.1. The latter solution seems quite kludgey to me. Martin Buchholz wrote: -- In order to save my hands, I am cutting back on my responses, especially to XEmacs-related mail. You _will_ get a response, but please be patient. If you need an immediate response and it is not apparent in your message, please say so. Thanks for your understanding.