Version
Generally, a version is a checkpoint at which a particular thing or idea varies from its previous state or condition. Relating to computers, versioning is an almost absolute practice in creation of software, in which the version of the software product changes with each modification in the software's code or routine. Pertaining to legal documents, and documents in general, this is when a statement or condition is added, removed, or changed. Revision control is very useful for anything that uses versions.
Software Engineering
This is used in practical terms by the consumer, or client, by being able to compare their copy of the software product against the newest released by the programmer. For the programmer team, or company, versioning is often used on a file-by-file basis, where individual parts or sectors of the software code are compared and contrasted with newer or older revisions, often in a collaborative Concurrent Versions System. There is no absolute and definite software version schema; it can often vary from software genre to genre, and is very commonly based on the programmer's personal preference.
The common structure of a software version number is
- major.minor[.revision[.build]]
This scheme is used by Microsoft. Some companies also include the build date.
In most cases, the first released version of a software product has version 1. Numbers below 1 mean alpha or beta versions, i.e., versions for testing purposes or internal use, or versions that aren't stable enough for general or practical deployment. For the next released version, the version number is increased to 1.1 (if only minor features have been added) or 2.0 (if major changes have been made).
Some computer file systems, such as the OpenVMS Filesystem, also keep versions for files.
Documents
Versioning amongst documents is relatively similar to the routine used with computers and software engineering, where with each small change in the structure, contents, or conditions, the version number is incremented by 1, or a smaller or larger value, again depending on the personal preference of the author and the size or importance of changes made.
See also
