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Release Plan and Versioning Conventions

Discussion in 'Announcements' started by owlbear, Aug 26, 2016.

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  1. owlbear

    owlbear Administrator
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    Hello Everyone!

    I wanted to share our release plan and versioning conventions going forward. Lets start with a quick overview of the version numbering we're using for D20PRO.

    Versioning Convention
    The current public beta release of D20PRO is version 3.6.7.8 as of this writing. The breakdown for the numbering is as follows:

    <Version> . <Major Release> . <Minor Release> . <Beta Release>

    • Version - Stable core of the application. Core Version numbers change when there are significant technology shifts in the main functionality of the application.

      Version updates are considered Stable and end user friendly. Core Version updates may break backward compatibility, however, we'll do our best to not have that happen.

    • Major Release - A Major Release represents a substantial change to the internal workings of the existing application infrastructure. Major Releases are general signs of movement toward a Core Version update.

      Major releases are considered Stable and end user friendly. Generally a Major release will contain code to allow for backward compatibility.
    • Minor Release - A Minor Release includes bug fixes and nominal updates to existing features to clean up UI, user experience and lay foundation for major release changes.

      Minor releases are considered Stable and are designed to fix existing issues in a Major release. As such they are highly recommended when considering if an update is necessary.
    • Beta Release - A Beta Release is the bleeding edge of the D20PRO space and should only be used if you're looking for a not-yet released feature, willing to risk data loss or interesting in helping to shape the direction of D20PRO through active involvement.

      Beta releases are not considered "Stable" and will regularly include unfinished UI. Beta releases should not be installed over a Stable release unless you don't mind risking the data found within. Additionally, a Beta release could have game model changes which do not make it to production. This can cause a game file to become unstable if the changes are not removed before upgrading.
    To sum up and give an example - 3.6.7.8 would be a beta while 3.6.8 would be a minor release.

    Release Schedule
    In order to help everyone know when to expect releases we've been working on a more standardized release schedule. Before delving into it, I want to point out that we're a small team and so these dates are meant as a core guideline rather than a hard and fast rule set.

    Beta Release Schedule
    Betas will be released on a "when-it's-ready" schedule based on work in progress and acceptable levels of internal testing.

    Minor Release Window
    The Minor release window occurs every two weeks (Thursday thru Friday) and is a hit or miss event. The release window started on Thursday morning (EST) and ends EOB on Friday (EST). A Minor release does not have to occur in any given week, however, it's very likely that we'll be able to provide a lot of these in the near future.

    Additionally, the limited window will help to prevent weekend from being consumed with preventing team members from doing important things like seeing their families or playing role playing games with friends.

    Major Release Window
    Similar to the Minor release window, the Major release window is a hit or miss event which occurs across a two-day span. Major Releases are schedule for the beginning (1st) of each month on a 3-month cycle. If the 1st falls on a weekend, the release window is bumped forward to the following week.

    Core Releases
    Core releases will occur on a "when-it's-ready" and we've spent a fair amount of time notifying and testing with the community. These shouldn't be surprise updates for our community.
     
  2. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
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  3. owlbear

    owlbear Administrator
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    Also, the plan went out the window because we have such a small team that When-it-is-ready won out over release what you've got.

    We're close to an update release however.
     
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