Dr. David Kirkby wrote: > John H Palmieri wrote: >> On Aug 2, 11:19 am, "Dr. David Kirkby" <david.kir...@onetel.net> >> wrote: >>> If there were only pre-release versions of Sage available, and no stable >>> release, then a less prominent message may be ok. But when there are >>> stable releases, and someone is using one that has not had much testing, >>> I believe that should be done in the clearest possible terms. >>> >>> Also, given the very fast release cycle of Sage (compared to things like >>> Mathematica, not iTunes), by the time someone is using a pre-release >>> version, there is probably already a later stable release. >> My view is, it takes some effort to get a prerelease version of Sage. >> You don't just go to sagemath.org and click "Download" -- that always >> gives you the latest stable version, as far as I can tell. (Do you >> have to read sage-devel or sage-release to know about the prerelease >> versions?) Because of this, I hope that someone using a prerelease >> knows enough about what they're doing that we don't need flashing >> lights and ringing bells to warn them -- a reminder should be good >> enough. >> >> If someone is imposing a pre-release version on other people by some >> sort of system-wide installation, then the person doing the installing >> is probably making a mistake. I hope that the other users will see >> the current warning and send email to the installer saying "Hey, what >> does 'unstable' mean? What happened to the old version?" >> >> John > > I can imagine a scenario where a user installs a pre-release version, as > it fixes a problem he has. If Sage is working well for him, he probably > wont bother updating it. Then others use his software, and don't give > the warning too much thought, since it was there the first time they > used it. > > IMHO, hammering home the nature of the build is important. > > > As a matter of interest, do any others have a view on which is best? > > 1) > ********************************************************************** > * * > * Warning: this is a prerelease version, and it may be unstable. * > * * > ********************************************************************** > > 2) > > ********************************************************************** > * WARNING - THIS IS A DEVELOPMENT RELEASE FOR DEVELOPERS * > * WARNING - DO NOT TRUST ANY RESULTS FROM THIS BUILD OF SAGE * > ********************************************************************** > > So what is it, (1) or (2) ?
How about: WARNING: this is a prerelease version, and it is still undergoing testing for correctness and stability. Other than that, +1 for (1). I'm okay with the "Warning" being changed to "WARNING". As for (2), on one hand, I agree with William's statement about it being applicable to all software. On the other hand, suppose there was only one patch to an obscure area of Sage that is almost never used. I use the rc3 to do some work, and then upgrade to the final release. I notice that the only patch between them does not affect my results. It sounds like I should not trust any of my previous results from Sage. This sort of cuts any sort of credibility for Sage out from under it. Thanks, Jason --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send an email to sage-devel@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to sage-devel-unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sage-devel URLs: http://www.sagemath.org -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
