No ReleaseCandidate Version in Package Path about aas4j

[mjacoby]

This is related to our previuos discussion whether we want to support the usage of multiple versions of the model within the same application.

I like this idea but maybe we are not considering all implications here, e.g. we would also need to have multiple "copies" of other components such as the de-/serializers as they will only work for a specific version of the model.
If we keep all the versions over time in the code base, the dependencies will become quite large over time.

Considering only final versions of the model an approach could be something like this

Release vX.Y.Z with namespace ...v3... used for all components, i.e. ...v3.model...., ...v3.dataformat.json..., ...v3.validator... etc.

Upon release of next final version v4 of specification
Release v(X+1).Y.Z with namespace ...v4... used for all components, remove all ...v4... namespaces

If an application wants to support v3 and v4 it can include dependencies with vX.Y.Z and v(X+1).Y.Z.
Downside would be that each time an application wants to upgrade to a new version of the model it has to update all imports.

Still the question remains how to handle RC-versions...

[sebbader-sap]

It's a design decision in my view, which we should decide on as early as possible.

Pro ...v3.rc02...:

• possible to load the 3.0.RC02 library and a future 3.0 at the same time

Con:

• A lot (!) of classes need to be touched without functional changes
• all implementing applications need to touch all their import statements

[twebermartins]

Agree with @mjacoby proposal.

Following a suggestion of @sebbader-sap, started an Architecture Decisions Records as a draft to document decisions.

[sebbader]

This commit has the change now in the code:
9c87ff1

[sebbader]

Let's keep this issue open until we merge the update-to-rc02 branch.