Understanding GoldSim Releases
Products and Revisions
All instances (versions) of GoldSim that you can download and install are referred to as Releases. Releases take the following forms:
| Release | Example | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Product | 11 or 11.0 14 or 14.0 |
Products add major new capabilities to GoldSim. Individual Product releases differ in at least one of the first three digits. "GoldSim 11", "GoldSim 11.1", "GoldSim 12" and "GoldSim 14" are considered individual Products and can be installed in parallel for simultaneous use. |
| Product Revision | 14.0 R1 |
Product Revisions correct problems (and add minor changes) found in previous releases of the same Product. This can be thought of as Product updates. The first Revision of a Product is labeled R1, the second Revision R2, and so on. Manuals, Help files and Examples are not changed in Product Revisions. Any changes are listed in the release notes. Significant changes may be described in an accompanying Summary Document. When you install a Product Revision, it replaces any existing Release of that Product on your computer. For example, "14.0 R2" installs Revision 2 of GoldSim 14.0, if it does not yet exist on your computer, or replaces an existing installation of GoldSim 14 (e.g., 14.0 R1 or 14.0). Note that previous to GoldSim 14, Product Revisions were referred to as Product Updates. Previous to GoldSim 11, Product Updates were referred to as Service Packs. |
Build Numbers
Starting with GoldSim 12 all Releases are identified by a unique build number (e.g., 'GoldSim 12.0 #379). The build number is shown in GoldSim's About box and in the details section of Programs and Features (in Windows Control Panel). Typically, users do not need to worry about build numbers as the Release name sufficiently identifies the build (i.e., 'GoldSim 14.0' or 'GoldSim 14.0 R1'). However, build numbers provide additional information during beta testing, and in the rare case that a special (interim) Release is issued to select customers.
Installation Files
For all Releases, the installation file provides a full installation of GoldSim as well as an upgrade installation. That is, while executing the installer on a computer it:
- installs the Product and Revisions included in the install for the first time, or
- upgrades an existing installation of the Product to the latest Revision included in the installer.
Example: When executing the installer of GoldSim 14.0 R2:
- If an existing release of the Product was present (i.e., 14.0 or 14.0 R1), the installer would upgrade the existing release of that Product to GoldSim 14.0 R2.
- Otherwise, the installer would install 14.0 R2.
Note that if GoldSim 12.1 was present (a different Product), it would not be impacted (14.0 R1 would be installed in parallel to 12.1).
You can uninstall older Products of GoldSim that you are no longer using.
Compatibility
Files created using an older GoldSim Release can generally be read in by subsequent Releases created within several years of the original release (e.g., GoldSim 12 could read a file created in GoldSim 11). However, files created using a later GoldSim Release cannot be read in by earlier Releases (e.g., GoldSim 11 could not read a file created in GoldSim 12).
Verification
All Releases are verified. During verification a large number of test problems are executed and the results compared to expected values. Verification tests are extensive, but they do not guarantee that GoldSim is bug-free.
Determining the Release You are Using
From the main menu, select Help | About GoldSim. The Release number (e.g., 14.0 R1) is also displayed on the splash screen when you first open GoldSim.