Inference engine versioning

[ilya-lavrenov]

Details:

• Inference Engine cmake and ie_version.hpp provides IE version in format {major}.{minor}.{patch}

Tickets:

• CVS-34112

[mshabunin]

I'm intrested, what would be your versioning and branching strategy?

For example, OpenCV uses following scheme:

1. developement on master branch: version is x.y.z, suffix is -dev
2. feature-freeze and/or code-freeze on master branch: version bump to x.y.z+1, suffix is changed to -pre
3. release on master branch: version is x.y.z+1, suffix is changed to empty
4. after release: suffix is changed to -dev -> state 1

With this approach we are able to distinguish between development, FF/CF and release version. Also development version is considered previous release, not the future one.
Also, do you plan on changing link-name of your libraries to the versioned name? It could be useful for side-by-side installations.

[SDxKeeper]

I'm intrested, what would be your versioning and branching strategy?

For example, OpenCV uses following scheme:

1. developement on _master_ branch: version is `x.y.z`, suffix is `-dev`

2. feature-freeze and/or code-freeze on _master_ branch: version bump to `x.y.z+1`, suffix is changed to `-pre`

3. release on _master_ branch: version is `x.y.z+1`, suffix is changed to empty

4. after release: suffix is changed to `-dev` -> state `1`

With this approach we are able to distinguish between development, FF/CF and release version. Also development version is considered previous release, not the future one.
Also, do you plan on changing link-name of your libraries to the versioned name? It could be useful for side-by-side installations.

Previously we have been sticking to different versioning scheme which tracked master branch as "future" release. This means that after branching code for CF/FF, version in master was stepped up to the next one.
No specific changes were required for CF branch during preparation for release. Latest version from that branch was tagged as release.

Regarding link names for libraries. this has been asked a long time ago in ticket: CVS-26327

[mshabunin]

tracked master branch as "future" release

This approach has a disadvantage, when users call find_package(InferenceEngine VERSION 2021.4) they assume that all features from 2021.4 release will be available in found library, but instead any package with incomplete and undeveloped functionality up to previous release branching point will match.

[SDxKeeper]

tracked master branch as "future" release

This approach has a disadvantage, when users call find_package(InferenceEngine VERSION 2021.4) they assume that all features from 2021.4 release will be available in found library, but instead any package with incomplete and undeveloped functionality up to previous release branching point will match.

I assume that when people do call find_package in their project using sources cloned from opensource OpenVINO repository from master branch they do understand that they are using "master" branch and not release tag for purpose.
There are NO such case when OpenVINO sources from master branch will be installed into system so they would be found by find_package. Only binary distribution allows that which is available only from release.