From eidsod01@condor.stcloudstate.edu Mon Mar 30 13:08:19 1998


On Mon, 19 Jan 1998, Robin Ericsson wrote:
> I know the difference between beta and alpha...but others also uses build
> numbers (Microsoft like this alot).
> 
> So what is build numbers? Does this increase for every make?

Well, as you said, alpha and beta's are test versions... Alpha usually 
means extremely unstable, while beta means at least somewhat stable, but 
crashes might happen. (Well, at least in software development - for muds 
beta mostly means "We are working on adding tins of snippets, and will be 
rebooting after each snippet is added to make sure that it works"

Version numbers are split into two (three) parts.

I.E:

WhateverMUD Version 2.35.1 Copyright 1998 Whoever

* 2 Would be the Major Version number
* 35 Would be the Minor Verison number
* 1 would be a sub-minor version number. (This is what builds refer to 
    mostly (IIRC))

Take for instance Windows 95 (for those of you who can remember back to 
it's beta stages)

When I first started using windows 95, it was in version 4.000.450 (also 
known as 4.0 build 450)

the next version I can remember was 4.000.613 (although there were 
undoubtedly others in between)... This was 4.0 build 613.

The first release version of Win95 was 4.000.950 - which would be (you 
guessed it) build 950.

As I mentioned before, undoubtedly there were several beta versions in 
between the ones I mentioned... These would have had various build 
numbers... there was even a 4.000.950 R-2 (build 950 Revision 2), but 
unfortunately it was never released to the public (that I know of - it 
was a bugfixed post-release beta version)

I hope this clears things up for you...

Nick

Dominic J. Eidson                  "Baruk Khazad! Khazad ai-menu!" - Gimli
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