1.4.1 Stable Release vs Stable Branch vs Current Branch

MonetDB/XQuery is released on a regular basis (multiple releases per year).

On a major release, the Current Branch in the Mercurial (HG) code repository becomes the Stable Branch. Typically, this is a crucial phase for the developer community where the Current Branch is tested and made stable, while a so-called "code-freeze" is enforced temporarily. After the moment that a new Stable has been created, the restrictions on the Current Branch are lifted.

Bugs are reported via a Bugzilla Bug Tracker and are fixed by the community.

In the course of time, bug-fixes may be checked into the Stable Branch. Thus, the Mercurial (HG) code of the Stable Branch is not necessarily equal to the last Stable Release.

On a minor release, all bug-fixes made in the last Stable Branch are explicitly re-tested and get a new version number. For Windows, new installers are built that are put on the download page.

Developers should work on the Current Branch. The Current Branch is nightly tested (see the Test Web). Often recent modifications cause some tests to fail. Thus, the Current Branch may at times be unstable ("bleeding edge"). It is not suited for production use.