On Wed, 4 Apr 2001, Brian D. Woodruff wrote:

Actually, you got just what you wanted. See below:

You specify it by using the RELENG_4 tag as you just did.

The way I've learned it is like this:

Every time you fetch the source code via CVSup, you are getting the latest developments and code adjustments in the branch you are fetching. In your case (and the rest of us on this mailing list I hope), that's the 4-STABLE branch, and it's probably as stable as you can get while staying more or less close to the leading edge.

The 4-STABLE branch is the working name for the branch of code considered to be, you guessed it, stable. Conversely, the -CURRENT branch might be anything but stable on any given day. You could think of it as a "wide alpha" for FreeBSD v5.0.

That -STABLE branch is the code base used to create the different -RELEASE, -BETA, and -RC stages that you've discovered. Each is pretty much a timed snapshot of the -STABLE branch, taken at various times.

The -BETA and -RC stages are indicators of how close we are to the next minor version (4.3 versus 4.2), and are generally taken several weeks prior to release time. The last -RC stage (-RC2 this time, I believe) lasts for two or three weeks, and if all is well, is snapshotted and named 4.3-RELEASE (this is what you get from a binary-only CD or FTP install).

I guess the 4-STABLE branch will always be 4-STABLE (regardless of the minor version number or the current snapshot's name) until it merges with (or is replaced by) 5-CURRENT. At that point, it would probably be renamed to 5-STABLE, and 6-CURRENT will probably be started as a separate branch.

I'm sure someone will correct me where I've messed this description up ;)

Nope, and probably never, since it ain't broke ;)

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