Python has a "build number" scheme on Unix-like systems that's hard to explain: Python 2.0b1 (#4, Sep 7 2000, 02:40:55) [MSC 32 bit (Intel)] on win32 ^^ The build number there is "#4". Each developer's unique build tree generates its own "build numbers", starting at 0, and increasing by 1 each time a build is done in that tree. These numbers are never checked in, or coordinated in any other way. It's just handy for a developer to distinguish among their own personal builds. The makefile tricks used to accomplish this under Unix-like systems don't work under MSDev. Here we fake it by hand, but much less frequently, and do check it in. The build number only changes often enough to distinguish releases from each other, and from the long "in between" stretches of CVS development. An account of all Windows BUILD numbers follows; when you check in a new one, please add an entry to the top of the list. How to change the Windows build number: + Right-click on getbuildinfo.c from within MSDev. Select Settings ... + Select the General category of the C/C++ tab. + In "Settings For:" select "Multiple Configurations ...". + Check the "Win32 Release" and "Win32 Debug" boxes and click OK. + In the Preprocessor Definitions box, increment the number after BUILD=. + Click OK. + This is not enough to convince MSDev to recompile getbuildinfo.c, so force that and relink. + Verify that the new build number shows up in both release and debug builds. Windows Python BUILD numbers ---------------------------- 56 2.4.0a3 2-Sep-2004 55 2.4.0a2 4-Aug-2004 54 2.4.0a1 8-Jul-2004 53 2.3.4 (final) 27-May-2004 52 2.3.4c1 13-May-2004 51 2.3.3 (final) 19-Dec-2003 50 2.3.3c1 5-Dec-2003 49 2.3.2 (final) 3-Oct-2003 48 2.3.2c1 30-Sep-2003 47 2.3.1 (final) 23-Sep-2003 46 2.3 (final) 29-Jul-2003 45 2.3c2 24-Jul-2003 44 2.3c1 18-Jul-2003 43 2.3b2 29-Jun-2003 42 2.2.3 (final) 30-May-2003 41 2.2.3c1 22-May-2003 40 2.3b1 25-Apr-2003 39 2.3a2 19-Feb-2003 38 2.3a1 31-Dec-2002 37 2.2.2 (final) 14-Oct-2002 36 2.2.2b1 7-Oct-2002 35 2.1.3 (final) 8-Apr-2002 34 2.2.1 (final) 10-Apr-2002 33 2.2.1c2 26-Mar-2002 32 2.2.1c1 18-Mar-2002 31 2.1.2 final 16-Jan-2002 30 2.1.2c1 10-Jan-2002 29 CVS development 21-Dec-2001 28 2.2 final 21-Dec-2001 27 2.2c1 14-Dec-2001 26 2.2b2 16-Nov-2001 25 2.2b1 19-Oct-2001 24 2.2a4 28-Sep-2001 23 2.2a3 07-Sep-2001 22 2.2a2 22-Aug-2001 21 2.2a1 18-Jul-2001 20 2.1.1 20-Jul-2001 19 2.1.1c1 13-Jul-2001 18 2.0.1 22-Jun-2001 17 2.0.1c1 13-Jun-2001 16 CVS development 18-Apr-2001 15 2.1 final 16-Apr-2001 14 2.1c2 15-Apr-2001 13 2.1c1 12-Apr-2001 12 2.1b2 20-Mar-2001 11 2.1b1 28-Feb-2001 10 2.1a2 1-Feb-2001 9 2.1a1 17-Jan-2001 8 2.0 (final) 14-Oct-2000 7 2.0c1 07-Oct-2000 6 2.0b2 26-Sep-2000 5 CVS development 07-Sep-2000 4 2.0b1 repaired to include Lib\xml + Lib\lib-old + Lib\test\*.xml 07-Sep-2000 3 2.0b1 05-Sep-2000 2 CVS development 1 unused 0 2.0b1p1 and 2.0b1p2 01-Sep-2000 for both -- this scheme hadn't started yet