Development guide
Version numbering
Tools
The tooling is assigned a version number based on the year and month of the release. This makes it easy to identify the date at which the release was produced. Moreover, this scheme will also make it easy to assess whether a particular function is embedded inside the tool. In general, algorithms will be present in any release after the corresponding technique has been published. Finally, a date-based version numbering scheme avoids the need for defining complex rules on when a major or minor version number needs to be increased.
File format
The file format will remain compatible accross all minor versions within a particular major version. This enforces backward compatibility within the evolving file format. This should provide users with the required flexibility to extend the file format for their own purpose.
This rule allows developers to use relatively simple XML parsers and data structures without having to consider many different file formats. Having a simple file format and data structures is essential for quickly developing new research ideas.