I realize that this list usually contains short questions and answers. I just thought Greg's questions required a more exhaustive (exhausting) response.
Gregory Forster wrote at 15:17 on 8 Oct 2005: > What are the differences between the different versions? Without looking at the documentation I can't tell you what was changed in any particular release. But ... > O.K. now there was all the different beta versions of 2.0, which I understand > were pretty much "bug fixes" of their predecessors. As I understand it, testing of new releases of software generally involves three phases. The first testing phase is Alpha testing which is performed by the developers. The user community will only see an Alpha version of software if it contains an urgent fix for a problem that user has reported. After the rough edges get knocked off the product, it enters the second testing phase -- Beta testing. This may be performed by a select group of users or may be made available to the general user community with the understanding that this is software that has not been fully tested but with the further understanding that those who download it will provide feedback as to the problems encountered as well as the successes that occur. Once the Beta testing reaches a certain level of stability the testing enters the third phase -- a Release Candidate (RC). As the name implies, this is a version that the developers believe may be ready for release but that may still contain a problem that needs correction or documentation prior to release. It is still not the official release. Any problems found at this "last minute" stage are scrutinized and a decision is made as to whether they warrant being fixed prior to release or whether it is sufficient to simply list them as known problem areas. In the case of OOo, the version 2.0 Beta versions were labeled as 1.9.x. The Release Candidates have been labeled as 2.0.0RCx. The final release probably will be labeled as 2.0.0. Version 1.1.5 would have been a minor feature upgrade of 1.1.4 while 2.0.x is a major feature upgrade. > Then there was finally 2.0rc1, an actual non-beta. "Finally" is not an appropriate word here. It is "non-beta" but it is still a test release. > Now, I just learned from your users group and then I downloaded 2.0rc2. > What's the difference between 2.0rc1 and 2.0rc2? As outlined above, this would have very minor, "last minute," fixes to version 2.0.0 but it is still a work in progress toward the final release of 2.0.0. Anyone who needs a rock solid version should avoid Beta versions unless specifically directed to use them by the developers and should use RC versions with caution. > I now have 2.0rc1 up and running good. Is there somewhere where I can see the > different upgrade features? Now that we have non-beta versions of 2.0, when > can we expect them to be just as stable as 1.1.5? In general, software developers will tell you that the final (stable) release of their product will be available "when it is ready." Tentative schedules may be published but no self respecting developer will release his/her software just to meet a published schedule. -- Jim --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
