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First, I would question why you are "sticking to the 8.3 rule" at all.
Do any of your customers run DOS machines? Or might they be on Windows
3.1 still?
Seriously, today I don't regard that as a particularly useful
limitation--other than with Windows systems the ".3" part.
>From your question, it would appear that a version control or doc
management system is not presently in place in your shop. Since there
are a few showing up that are GPL software and thus cost nothing to
implement in terms of software acquisition budgets, I suggest this is
something you might consider in the very near-term future.
Still, there are occasions when the *file name* having the version
number can be helpful:
1. So that those who want to download the file will know at a glance
whether the version is newer than the one they may already have.
2. So that those seeking to compare earlier editions may do so--if
they do not have access to a good version control system.
3. For those who aren't quite up to speed on creation dates...
On the other hand, if all you distribute is printed doc, the filename
is totally up to you.
With a reasonable version control/doc management system in place, it
can be good practice to include creation date when a particular
document is generated in the filename rather than a version number.
That way, the whole thing can be more automated. If there are more
than one volume, you would simply list each volume (or chapter or
section, etc.) and its latest creation date as current docs without
having to rebuild everything when one part is updated.
If your documentation is continuously updated, keeping track of
version numbers quickly may prove to be somewhat impossible. For this
kind of documentation, I believe the optimal system would create the
"latest and greatest" at any given time on the request of the
authorized individual requesting it. In many cases, this "document"
may never exist outside of the host server--created on the fly and
served to the user via web browser. This kind of online system would
be nearly ideal in cases where customers are working in a regulated
industry, for example, as they would always be accessing the latest
regulations and the latest internal policies that deal with those
regulations.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the system would keep track of all
changes to make most version numbers unnecessary beyond the number
corresponding to the primary product.
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