From: kagel AT quasar DOT bloomberg DOT com
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 09:27:48 -0500
Message-Id: <9611261427.AA09871@quasar.bloomberg.com >
To: eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il
Cc: x-aes AT telelogic DOT se, djgpp AT delorie DOT com
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.961126131746.4065B-100000@is> (message from Eli Zaretskii on Tue, 26 Nov 1996 13:20:31 +0200 (IST))
Subject: Re: less quirks, dies in win95 dos window..
Reply-To: kagel AT dg1 DOT bloomberg DOT com

   Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 13:20:31 +0200 (IST)
   From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>

   On 26 Nov 1996, Andy Eskilsson wrote:

   > Hmm Isn't there a way of doing a version numbering of the compilations
   > done to the utils? It is hard to check the date of the files everytime
   > I want to know if something new is out? 

   And Eli Zaretskii responded:

   There is no easy way.  One way is to put a version string into every
   library function, but that will bloat the library and the binaries.  Since
   people can change the library by replacing any module there (that's what I
   do when a bug in one of the library functions is found), you cannot just
   stamp the entire library with a single version string.  Tough. 

I do not know what DJ, et al, are using for version control, but I have found
that, using RCS, I have had by largest muscle set saved many times by including
the RCS Revision string in my binaries(see below).  The distribution would then
include the original revision string unless someone checked the library source 
into RCS at his/her own site, in which case the individuals revision strings 
would not match the distribution and some problem reports would be suspect.
The FAQ and README.1st could advise users to manually modify the revision 
strings if they are changing library modules without using RCS.  In this way an
RCS ident report on the executable or library could be requested as part of any
unusual behavior report to make sure that, for example, the user is not mixing
library or component versions, or at least to be sure that he/she is.


Just include:

static char RCSRevision[] = "$Revision$";

in each source file (including tool and library source) and:

static char RCS_<headername>_Revision[] = "$Revision$";

in each non-POSIX/ANSI include file.