Changes

We are changing our Rule Versioning System for Pai Sho. The previous system was really about design themes more than it was about actual version tracking. We are moving to a system that is more like the way software versions are tracked. We are making this change because we want to be able to play test in a more detailed and specific way than we currently can. Every time a revision is saved to the 1.0 rules page it will count as a new version even if those changes are trivial. This will allow us to refer to the exact condition of the rules during a test game.

Finding the Current Version

To find the current version number of the rules go to the 1.0 rules page and click the page history link. At the top left you will see the total number of revisions in parenthesis. You will also see links to previous versions of the page as well as the current one.

Referencing the Version

• When publishing a test game we will include a link to the current revision (not just the rules page)
• We will also give the version number using the following shorthand "revision number one" would be "R1"
• We will include also the name of the member making the revision, to make locating a specific change easier if multiple edits are made by multiple members in close succession
• All of this will be added to the top of the test game

Example:

At the time of this writing the current version of the rules is R112 November 1, 2012 at 12:13:22 pm by Osuji 

Trunks, Branches, and Merges (what about 1.5 and 2.0?)

In software development "The Trunk" is the main version of the application. Any drastic new changes are made in a "Branch" so they can be tested without breaking the latest stable version. If the changes prove to be worth keeping they are merged back into the trunk and the branch is abandoned (this may vary somewhat in actual software practice so don't get sidetracked by how it may work at your company)

For our purposes 1.0 will become our trunk version and 1.5 and 2.0 will eventually be tested as branches from that trunk. Branching will work like this. First we will note the current version as described above so we will know where we started and be able to revert back to that starting point if we want. Next we will add all the changes we have decided to make. Since this may take several days or several edits the new version number may jump by more than one or two numbers. Once those changes have been made we will note the revision number and begin testing it. If testing indicates there should be changes to this new version we will make them and use the newer revision for testing. Should we reach a point that we feel the version we have been testing is a failure we will revert to the original version. This will result in a new revision number which will be the new and latest version.

In a strange way its a sort of reverse time travel where instead of our going back in time we bring the past forward into the future. In practical terms any version we work on will remain in the revision history, and available to be revived. Actual versions will be listed in a separate page of links to the history page where we felt it was finished. Once we add the 1.5 and 2.0 pages to that 1.0 timeline we can delete the original 1.5 and 2.0 pages. That won't be for a while yet but we will get there eventually. I will set up the version page soon.