Release Line
After you release a version of your software to your users, you'll probably have to fix some problems. You can expect that your users will update to the latest version to get the fixes and other enhancements, but frequently, they won't want to update or can't take the upgrade when you want them to. The Release Line pattern describes a way to create a release line when you ship your software. This line will be maintained and patched in parallel to the main software development. Patches are applied to the release line and given to customers. Periodically, the patches are brought back into the main development product, as shown in Figure 23-3.

Figure 23-3: The Release Line pattern.
Release Line is from Software Configuration Management Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration, by Stephen P. Berczuk and Brad Appleton (Addison-Wesley).
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