compver(4)

compver -- compatible versions file

Description

compver is an ASCII file used to specify previous versions of the associated package which are upward compatible. It is created by a package developer.

Each line of the file specifies a previous version of the associated package with which the current version is backward compatible.

Since some packages may require installation of a specific version of another software package, compatibility information is extremely crucial. Consider, for example, a package called ``A'' which requires version ``1.0'' of application ``B'' as a prerequisite for installation. If the customer installing ``A'' has a newer version of ``B'' (1.3), the compver file for ``B'' must indicate that ``1.3'' is compatible with version ``1.0'' in order for the customer to install package ``A.''

Examples

A sample compver file is shown below.

   Version 1.3
   Version 1.0

References

depend(4)

Notices

The comparison of the version string disregards white space and tabs. It is performed on a word-by-word basis. Thus Version 1.3 and Version 1.3 would be considered the same.