Why still 1.6.5?

[Tyler Johnson]

Just curious, if we're on 1.7.9 why can't we have a 1.7.8 stable version? I wrote music that was comitted at least 3 months ago but still isn't available in a stable version. Just curious to the process of updating the stable version, thanks.

-Tyler

[Ken_Oh]

Because 1.7.8 isn't stable.

EDIT: Sorry, I don't mean to be flippant or anything but, have you played 1.7.8? There are display errors, crashes and I have to assume many other problems as I've only played it a little bit. The version numbering scheme ivanovic lists below aside, it really just isn't stable. I'd maybe halfway agree with you if that wasn't the case.

[ivanovic]

http://wiki.wesnoth.org/Download#Stable ... _branch.29:

The stable files are meant to be used as a stable and rather balanced version of the game. Each version of the 1.6 branch is compatible to each other.

Version 1.6.5 is the latest stable version. This version is recommended for most players since the 1.6 online multiplayer community is very large and user-made campaign server has a robust content selection.

http://wiki.wesnoth.org/Download#Develo ... _branch.29:

Version 1.7.x is the latest development version, boasting updated graphics and new exciting features. However, there may be occasional bugs or performance problems in the development versions since heavy changes are taking place all the time. For balanced and stable gaming, it is recommended you use the latest version of the 1.6.x branch. This version is recommended for coders and campaign developers, as well as those who want to preview the future of Wesnoth.

I think those texts do clearly describe the difference. 1.odd.x is *always* the development line that eventually will become a 1.even.x series which is the resulting "stable" version. Yes, we are already working on stabilizing the 1.7.x series, but currently there are still to many problems and bugs left to already call it "stable". Once we think it is reasonable stable there will be a "release candidate" for the stable series, if this proves to be stable enough, we will have the start of the new stable series which will then be 1.8.x. Currently we are in beta time which means that all the features are still there, we are just not satisfied with the amount of bugs and problems.

[Turuk]

After a certain point, no more stable versions are released when the developmental version is close to being the new stable.

Beaten to it as I forgot to hit enter.

[Tyler Johnson]

Ok thank you, I wasn't aware that 1.7.x had to be stable with ALL builds of the 1.7.x tree. And the ood/even factor, I didn't know that. So once 1.7.9 is complete there will be Wesnoth 1.8 stable? Is that correct?

[MDG]

Yes.

If you look on the home page 1.7.9 is "a.k.a. 1.8 beta2", i.e it is pre-stable-release final testing. Feature freeze is already in place I believe so it's just getting rid of remaining bugs before the 1.8 stable release.

EDIT: unless for some reason another pre-stable release is required in which case 1.7.9 will go to 1.7.10 (1.8 beta3).

[thespaceinvader]

Precisely. When 1.7.x is as bugfixed as humanly possibly, 1.8.x will be released. At that point, no new content will be added to the 1.8.x branch, only bug fixes, to maintain intercompatibility. There will also, after some time to build up new features, be a 1.9.x release, which will be the new development version.

[Aethaeryn]

Ok thank you, I wasn't aware that 1.7.x had to be stable with ALL builds of the 1.7.x tree. And the ood/even factor, I didn't know that. So once 1.7.9 is complete there will be Wesnoth 1.8 stable? Is that correct?

1.6.0 was the first stable release of the 1.6 branch. 1.6.1, 1.6.2, etc., are all bugfixes, art additions, and maintenance releases that maintain backwards compatibility with 1.6.0.

1.7.0 was the first release of this development branch. 1.7.1 was the second, followed by 1.7.2, etc. In the development releases, you don't have to maintain that backwards compatibility, so you can't play with someone who has 1.7.4 if you only have 1.7.0. You can do a lot more with a version when they don't have to be compatible with each other in MP: balancing units, adding new music, making WML do more things, improving the AI, adding new campaigns and MP scenarios, adding art that for some reason would break the stable branch compatibility, etc. Unfortunately, that means that many new bugs are inevitably introduced. Thus, there are betas at the end of the odd-numbered line (in this case, 1.7.8, 1.7.9, and 1.7.10). In betas, new features aren't added, but all the bugs introduced between 1.7.0 and 1.7.7 have to be fixed before they can call it "stable" and make it the next even number, 1.8. After that, new features can again be introduced, but on the future 1.9 branch.

As soon as there aren't too many bugs, one release will be numbered 1.8 instead of the next in the 1.7.x line. This means that the stable release is almost entirely dependent on fixing all of the reported bugs thus far. If there weren't as many bugs in this release, there might have been a 1.8 version instead of 1.7.10. If there are many more bugs (or if it takes a while to fix them), there might even be a 1.7.16 release (not very likely, imo).

[Turuk]

Echo echo echo...

[Aethaeryn]

Echo echo echo...

Trying to actually explain what "stable" and "development" mean.